Otto Roberto Herrera Garcia
Encyclopedia
Otto Roberto Herrera García is a Guatemala
n national and career criminal, best known for turning Guatemala into a corridor for U.S.-bound cocaine
.
After being captured in 2004 and receiving a prison sentence, he escaped in May 2005 from his jail in southern Mexico City
while awaiting extradition
to the United States
. U.S. officials had called him one of the most-wanted drug traffickers in the world and offered a $2m (£1m) reward for information leading to his capture. The jail's warden, his deputy and 10 others were arrested for allegedly accepting bribes to facilitate his freedom. An arrest warrant was quickly put out by Interpol
. Herrera García was arrested two years later in Bogota
, Colombia
.
The U.S. Department of State reported that Otto Roberto Herrera García was the leader of a drug trafficking organization responsible for bringing more than 18 metric tons of cocaine from Colombia
, through Central America
and Mexico, into the United States
since 1998. In 2001, alone, his organization moved approximately 12 metric tons of cocaine, and may have the ability to smuggle as much as 2 tons of cocaine into the United States each month. Herrera García's trafficking organization is very violent – known to have murdered suspected informants, including one who sustained 18 gunshot wounds.
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
n national and career criminal, best known for turning Guatemala into a corridor for U.S.-bound cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
.
After being captured in 2004 and receiving a prison sentence, he escaped in May 2005 from his jail in southern Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
while awaiting extradition
Extradition
Extradition is the official process whereby one nation or state surrenders a suspected or convicted criminal to another nation or state. Between nation states, extradition is regulated by treaties...
to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. U.S. officials had called him one of the most-wanted drug traffickers in the world and offered a $2m (£1m) reward for information leading to his capture. The jail's warden, his deputy and 10 others were arrested for allegedly accepting bribes to facilitate his freedom. An arrest warrant was quickly put out by Interpol
Interpol
Interpol, whose full name is the International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL, is an organization facilitating international police cooperation...
. Herrera García was arrested two years later in Bogota
Bogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
, Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
.
The U.S. Department of State reported that Otto Roberto Herrera García was the leader of a drug trafficking organization responsible for bringing more than 18 metric tons of cocaine from Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, through Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
and Mexico, into the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
since 1998. In 2001, alone, his organization moved approximately 12 metric tons of cocaine, and may have the ability to smuggle as much as 2 tons of cocaine into the United States each month. Herrera García's trafficking organization is very violent – known to have murdered suspected informants, including one who sustained 18 gunshot wounds.