Colombian troops have killed Oliver Solarte, one of the country’s biggest drug traffickers.
Solarte, a commander of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as the Farc, was considered by Colombian intelligence as the drug-funded group's chief contact with Mexican drug cartels, President Juan Manuel Santos said in a statement.
The president said Solarte, alias “Oliver Solarte,” was killed on Monday in a joint forces operation near San Miguel, a town bordering Ecuador. The 39-year-old Solarte was wanted by the United States on drug trafficking charges.
Mr Santos, who took office in August, has severely weakened Latin America's oldest paramilitary group with a series of operations in recent times.
Mono Jojoy, the rebels' military chief and second-in-command, was killed last year.
As defence minister under former president Alvaro Uribe, Mr Santos oversaw the rescue of 15 rebel-held hostages, including French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt, and an air strike into Ecuador that killed Raul Reyes, another top rebel commander.
Agencies
