Alleged Colombian drug don arrested
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Colombian supporters cheer for their team before the start of the FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014 qualifying match against Ecuador at the in Barranquilla on September 6, 2013. An alleged drug don, Claudio Baez, was arrested in Colombia as he headed to the football match, police said Saturday. (AFP/File)
An alleged drug don, Claudio Baez, was arrested in Colombia as he headed to a football match, police said Saturday.
The arrest occurred in Barranquilla Friday and was carried out by local police and Interpol in coordination with the US Drug Enforcement Administration, police said in a statement.
Officials said their manhunt for Baez lasted almost 18 months.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}But they were finally able to nab him as he headed to attend a World Cup qualifier in which Colombia defeated Ecuador 1-0.
Colombia was roiled in the 1980s and 1990s by its Medellin and Cali drugs cartels, which authorities have weakened in recent years.