Liam O’Brien and Robert Taylor who are wanted by UK law enforcement were arrested in the South American country following an investigation led by the National Crime Agency
Liam O’Brien and Robert Taylor who are wanted by UK law enforcement were arrested in the South American country following an investigation led by the National Crime Agency.
O’Brien, of Liverpool, was wanted by the NCA as part of an investigation into the supply of Class A drugs and firearms.
Taylor, of Newcastle upon Tyne, was wanted by Northumbria Police after he was sentenced in his absence in February 2024 to seven-and-a-half years in prison for drugs offences and money laundering.
Both were arrested following a dramatic armed raid carried out in a joint operation between the Anti-Narcotics Directorate (DIRAN) and the Interpol National Central Bureau in Bogotá.
Liam O’Brien and Robert Taylor
News in 90 Seconds – Saturday, November 15
The Colombian National Police reported the arrest for extradition purposes, of the UK citizens accused of being part of a transnational drug trafficking network.
They were arrested as part of ‘Operation Lineage II’, an 11-month investigation that, according to authorities, is targeting the logistics and finances of criminal organisations with international reach.
O’Brien is accused of conspiracy to supply cocaine, heroin, MDMA and cannabis, conspiracy to possess a firearms with intent to endanger life, conspiracy to transfer a prohibited weapon as well as money laundering and perverting the course of justice.
According to the investigation, both men allegedly acted as a link for the so-called Irish mafia in Colombia and coordinated drug shipments to the United Kingdom in conjunction with the Clan del Golfo GAO.
Colombia’s Clan Del Golfo cartel are the world’s single biggest producers and distributors of cocaine.
According to the Colombian officials, the group exports at least 20 tons of cocaine every month.
The crime syndicate – which has around 3,000 armed men at its disposal – now controls most the territory once ruled by Escobar’s Medellín Cartel.
“International cooperation is a fundamental pillar in our fight against drug trafficking.” Brigadier General Ricardo Sánchez Silvestre , Director of Anti-Narcotics, told Semana Columbia. “We will continue working in close coordination with agencies around the world to dismantle the networks that threaten global security.”
According to Director General of the National Police, Brigadier General William Rincón, they have reported the seizure of more than 411 tons of cocaine.
Authorities say this is evidence of the weakening of the financial structures of drug trafficking organisations.
“With the detention of the two foreigners, the authorities maintain that the chain of command and the contact networks that allow the export of shipments to Europe are affected,” Semana Columbia added.
President Gustavo Petro commented on the operation on his social media.
“Two members of the Irish mafia were captured in Medellín by the National Police,” he posted. “This demonstrates that the trafficking to Europe, the major cocaine buyers, is controlled by Colombian mafias and is a confederated multinational enterprise,” the president said.
The Clan del Golfo have long term links with European trafficking gangs and are said to have direct ties to the Kinahan Cartel.
They are widely reported to have been the suppliers of the €157 million cocaine haul which was seized from the MV Matthew off the coast of Cork.
While headed up by Dairo Antonio Úsuga – better known by his nickname ‘Otoniel’, the Clan del Golfo formed a strong alliance with Balkan, Italian and Mexican cartels and in particular had ties to Edin Gacanin, one of the super cartel business partners of Daniel Kinahan.
Colombian authorities believe that Otoniel regularly met with criminals from Europe, to negotiate massive cocaine shipments and even brought them into his jungle home to hammer out deals.
US ambassador to Ireland Claire Cronin, speaking at Dublin City Hall. Photo: Niall Carson/PA Images via Getty Images
US ambassador to Ireland Claire Cronin, speaking at Dublin City Hall. Photo: Niall Carson/PA Images via Getty Images
However, Otoniel ultimately pleaded guilty in New York to trafficking nearly 97,000kg (107 tons) of cocaine after being extradited.
“Tons of cocaine were moved with my permission or at my direction,” Dairo Antonio Úsuga, told a Brooklyn federal court.
“There was a lot of violence with the guerillas and the criminal gangs,” he added, and acknowledged that “in military work, homicides were committed.”
As part of his plea deal Úsuga (51) has agreed to forfeit $216m in criminal cash, although the US government has agreed not to seek a life term as part of a deal to secure his extradition from Colombia.
Jobanis de Jesus Avila Villadiego, known as Chiquito Malo, has been the leader of the Clan del Golfo since the extradition.
Chiquito Malo is also suspected of meeting with the criminals and having a personal relationship with a close associate of Gacinan.