[Al Jazeera] One of Colombia's most wanted drug lords has been killed in an operation by police and the air force, President Juan Manuel Santos has said.Santos announced at a news conference on Wednesday that "the king of killers has fallen", confirming the death of the man knicknamed "Cuchillo" (Knife) for using the weapon to mutilate his victims.
Cuchillo, whose real name was Pedro Oliverio Guerrero, died during a raid in southern Colombia on Christmas Day.
| He died... somehow. |
Santos called Guerrero's death "the greatest blow dealt to criminal organisations," and warned other criminals that they would face a similar fate.
On Tuesday, authorities said they found a body with characteristics matching those of Guerrero about 320km southeast of the capital, Bogota, but needed to conduct the necessary tests before confirming his identity.
Colombian authorities had offered a $2.5m reward for information leading to his capture. The money will be paid to several informants who helped with the investigation, Santos said.
Police director General Oscar Naranjo said Guerrero likely drowned, since an autopsy did not find gunfire or blade wounds on his body.