Colombian cartel leader Juan Castro escapes from a Bogotá prison
A drug lord awaiting extradition to the United States donned a prison guard's uniform and strolled out of Colombian maximum security prison Friday thanks to a '$5 million' get out of jail card.
Juan Castro, the reported 'second-in-command' of multinational Colombian cartel Gulf Clan, was caught on camera slipping out of the La Picota penitentiary in Bogotá, Colombia, last week without incident.
Sporting a prison guard's uniform, he walked through seven doors, including one which was left open by National Penitentiary and Prison Institute inspector Miltón JÃmenez.
JÃmenez was arrested without incident Friday for his alleged involvement in the scheme - and is set to appear in court Tuesday.
He could face up to 12 years in prison if he is found guilty of helping Castro escape.
Prison director Juan Gordillo, an assistant director and 55 guards have also been suspended following the brazen daylight incident.
Surveillance camera shows Colombian cartel leader Juan Castro walking through a prison door during his escape
La Picota prison (pictured) director Juan Gordillo, an assistant director and 55 guards have been suspended following the escape of Colombian cartel leader, Juan Castro
He could face up to 12 years in prison if he is found guilty of helping Castro escape.
Prison director Juan Gordillo, an assistant director and 55 guards have also been suspended following the brazen daylight incident.
Juan Castro, identified as the second-ranking leader within the Gulf Clan, escaped from a prison in Bogotá, Colombia, on Friday. Colombian authorities suspended the prison director, an assistant director and 55 jail guards. Castro was awaiting extradition to the United States
Castro's escape comes almost a month after Colombian authorities foiled a similar plot by Gulf Clan and other Mexican cartels to break Gulf Clan leader Dario Úsuga out of prison and avoid his extradition to the United States.
Castro was arrested in May 2021 and faces drug trafficking and money laundering charges in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
A preliminary reported obtained by Colombian newspaper El Tiempo indicates that Castro was not in his prison cell at 11 p.m. on Thursday night.
Castro reportedly was in one of the prison complex's courtyards – where it is believed he was ironing out the details of his daring escaped – and returned to his cell approximately at 12:30 a.m.
He them changed into the jail guard's uniform and walked out of the cell accompanied by JÃmenez, who led him past five monitoring points.
Colombian cartel Juan Castro may have fled from Bogotá, authorities say
Gulf Clan leader Dario Úsuga was arrested by Colombian security forces in October 2021 (above). He was awaiting extradition to the United StatesInvestigators discovered that some of the security cameras were not functioning as Castro walked towards the exit doors. One of the cameras that was working showed him looking down towards the ground to conceal his face from being detected. Castro, who was carrying a cellphone, was not ordered to identify himself at the two check-in points he passed prior leaving the jail.
Authorities stopped short of ruling out that Castro may have fled Bogotá or even Colombia on an airplane.
Castro had been involved with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia and several other paramilitary groups since the age of 16. He was arrested at least 12 times and twice escaped from prison.
In 2018, he forged a plan that allowed him to serve the remainder of a sentence under home confinement, alleging he was very sick.
As part of a plan to get under the radar, he faked his death on December 13, 2018 and became one of the Gulf Clan's high-ranking leaders in the southern region of Nariño.
Narcotics investigators discovered in 2019 that Castro had become the leader of the Cordillera Sur, a cell of the Gulf Clan.
His drug trafficking gang had alleged ties with the National Liberation Army, dissident members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, as well as the Sinaloa Cartel and Jalisco New Generation Cartel – the two most powerful criminal organizations in Mexico, who also happen to be bitter rivals.
Castro was facing homicide, extortion and illegal firearm possession charges in Colombia.
As a result of his escape, President Iván Duque announced 'a comprehensive reform of the Colombian penitentiary and prison system' after the corruption scandals involving the National Penitentiary and Prison Institute.
At the beginning of this month, the Colombian government dismissed the head of the prisons and the director of the largest prison in the country for the unusual exit permits granted to businessman Carlos Mattos, arrested for allegedly paying bribes in a lawsuit with the South Korean automaker, Hyundai.
Mattos was seen leaving La Picota prison twice in a National Penitentiary and Prison Institute vehicle in videos obtained by television network Caracol. He was seen walking unguarded and entering a building where his office was located.
'The system cannot continue to have these behaviors without exemplary sanctions,' Duque said Friday.
The Gulf Clan is considered Colombia's largest drug-trafficking group.
The organization consists of about 1,600 fighters and is involved in the production and trafficking of cocaine, as well as illegal mining.
Colombia's government accuses the cartel of threatening and killing local activists - known as social leaders - in the country.
Castro was arrested in May 2021 and faces drug trafficking and money laundering charges in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
A preliminary reported obtained by Colombian newspaper El Tiempo indicates that Castro was not in his prison cell at 11 p.m. on Thursday night.
Castro reportedly was in one of the prison complex's courtyards – where it is believed he was ironing out the details of his daring escaped – and returned to his cell approximately at 12:30 a.m.
He them changed into the jail guard's uniform and walked out of the cell accompanied by JÃmenez, who led him past five monitoring points.
Authorities stopped short of ruling out that Castro may have fled Bogotá or even Colombia on an airplane.
Castro had been involved with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia and several other paramilitary groups since the age of 16. He was arrested at least 12 times and twice escaped from prison.
Juan Castro had been arrested on May 7, 2021, in Santander, Colombia. He escaped from a Bogotá prison on Friday
As part of a plan to get under the radar, he faked his death on December 13, 2018 and became one of the Gulf Clan's high-ranking leaders in the southern region of Nariño.
Narcotics investigators discovered in 2019 that Castro had become the leader of the Cordillera Sur, a cell of the Gulf Clan.
His drug trafficking gang had alleged ties with the National Liberation Army, dissident members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, as well as the Sinaloa Cartel and Jalisco New Generation Cartel – the two most powerful criminal organizations in Mexico, who also happen to be bitter rivals.
Castro was facing homicide, extortion and illegal firearm possession charges in Colombia.
As a result of his escape, President Iván Duque announced 'a comprehensive reform of the Colombian penitentiary and prison system' after the corruption scandals involving the National Penitentiary and Prison Institute.
At the beginning of this month, the Colombian government dismissed the head of the prisons and the director of the largest prison in the country for the unusual exit permits granted to businessman Carlos Mattos, arrested for allegedly paying bribes in a lawsuit with the South Korean automaker, Hyundai.
Mattos was seen leaving La Picota prison twice in a National Penitentiary and Prison Institute vehicle in videos obtained by television network Caracol. He was seen walking unguarded and entering a building where his office was located.
'The system cannot continue to have these behaviors without exemplary sanctions,' Duque said Friday.
The Gulf Clan is considered Colombia's largest drug-trafficking group.
The organization consists of about 1,600 fighters and is involved in the production and trafficking of cocaine, as well as illegal mining.
Colombia's government accuses the cartel of threatening and killing local activists - known as social leaders - in the country.
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