Colombia deports top Peruvian crime lord

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BOGOTA: Colombia deported top Peruvian crime lord Gerson Galvez on Sunday, a day after arresting the man described as the new version of Mexico’s Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.

Galvez, also known as Caracol (Snail), was arrested in a restaurant in the western city of Medellin, Colombia’s defense ministry said late Saturday.

He was then handed over to Peruvian authorities because of his “dangerousness” and flown back to his home country, Colombian national police chief Jorge Nieto told a press conference.

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos congratulated his national police on Twitter, describing Galvez as “one of the most feared crime capos in the region.”

Galvez “is described by Peruvian police and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime as Latin America’s new ‘Chapo’ Guzman,” the Colombian defense ministry said.