Thread: $140 MILLION cash seized in month

5 October 2010 Last updated at 02:55 ET

'Drug lord's millions' seized in Colombia house raid

By Jeremy McDermott
BBC News, Bogota

Colombian police have found $29m (£18m; 21m euros) and 17m euros from suspected drug payments in a house in Bogota.

The money is believed to be drug payments from Mexican cartels to Colombia's top drug trafficker, Daniel "The Madman" Barrera.

It brings to $140m the total of cash seized in just more than a month.

Intelligence sources told the BBC they believe Mr Barrera is in Venezuela, beyond the reach of both Colombian and US authorities.

Police acting on a tip-off raided a house in southern Bogota, uncovering bricks of cash.

The money is believed to be payment from Mexican cartels for multi-ton consignments of cocaine sent by Mr Barrera, Colombia's most wanted drug trafficker, for whom the US is offering a $5m reward.

It seems the security forces have penetrated the kingpin's network, as this is the fourth seizure in little more than a month.

Though the police have been able to track the Colombian drug lord's money, they have not had any luck finding him.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11473644

Daniel "The Madman" Barrera is going to be really unhappy about this.

RELATED

Colombia arrests 34 traffickers in major drug bust

http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-214670.html