Colombia's police on Wednesday seized two tons of cocaine into the country's main criminal gang, which has ties to the Sinaloa Cartel of recaptured Mexican drug trafficker Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, the defense minister said.
The drug, valued at 60 million dollars in the US market, was discovered in a parking of trucks of the Caribbean city of Cartagena, Colombia's main tourist resort on the Caribbean Sea, in the first significant seizure of 2016.
Defense Minister Luis Carlos Villegas said the cocaine shipment belonged to the Clan called Úsuga, the country's main criminal band and having ties to the Sinaloa Cartel drug lord who runs the "El Chapo" Guzman, recaptured last week by Mexican authorities.
"The Clan Úsuga owns this shipment. It is not ruled out that this cocaine was directed against organized crime in Central America and Mexico with a final destination in the United States and Europe," said Villegas, who did not report catches for the drug operation.
The Úsuga Clan, composed of at least 2,000 men, is led by fugitive Úsuga Dario Antonio, alias "Otoniel" for whom the United States is offering a reward of up to five million dollars for information leading to his capture.
Criminal gangs, accused of sending tons of cocaine to Mexican cartels and the United States, became a priority for Washington, Colombia's main ally in the fight against drug trafficking.
Colombia, with a strategic location because it is surrounded by two oceans, is still one of the world's leading cocaine producer, with around 442 tonnes per year, despite government efforts to combat this crime.
During 2015 the Colombian authorities seized more than 160 tons of cocaine.