Clan del Golfo Kingpin "Matamba" Escapes from Colombian Prison with Help from Staff

"Socalj" for Borderland Beat

Juan Castro Estupiñán, Matamba, a high-profile Colombian kingpin escaped from a prison in Bogotá, Colombia, walking from his cell, which was intentionally opened.

Juan Castro Estupiñán went through seven gates in total to get out of the prison known as La Picota, after which the prison director and 56 other officials were immediately suspended, and Colombian authorities requested the resignation of the Minister of Justice, Wilson Ruiz.

According to local media reports, the well-known drug trafficker reportedly paid between $4 and $5 million dollars to achieve his escape, money that would have been handed over to La Picota officials, so the authorities are already investigating prison staff. According to a guard, "Matamba" was not in the extraditable pavilion, where he was awaiting the process to be sent to the United States. Initially, it was thought he was passed out drunk in another part of the prison.

Through social networks, a video was released in which the custodian opens the door of the drug trafficker's cell with his key, and later enters to check the space and does not lock it. Moments after what happened, the alleged criminal left the cell and prison on his own feet wearing a custodian uniform very similar to the one worn by the guard who would have opened the lock.

Matamba is accused of being the second most important man in the Clan del Golfo, a cartel that maintains relations with various criminal organizations, including the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) in Mexico. He was captured last year in May 2021. In October 2021, as reported by Borderland Beat, the long-time leader of the Clan del Golfo and Usuga Clan was arrested. Dairo Antonio Usuga aka "Otoniel” was hiding in the Colombian jungle near the border of Panama. 500 soldiers in 22 helicopters took part in his arrest. His capture is being compared to the fall of Pablo Escobar.

Last month, on February 2, 2022, a Colombian police officer, who had worked on "Otoniel's" capture was assassinated. Edward "Jimmy" Rivera Gonzalez spent more than 11 years serving with the Colombia National Police, where he was a long-term member of an FBI task force.

La Picota prison in Bogota, Colombia.

“The commencement of a disciplinary investigation and the immediate provisional suspension was ordered against the director of La Picota, (the) Major Juan Gabriel Gordillo, the deputy director and 55 members of the surveillance force for today's morning shift,” said the head of the Attorney General's Office, prosecutor Margarita Cabello.

The Colombian Senate also joined forces to demand the resignation of Wilson Ruiz, who is currently serving as Minister of Justice in the country, as he is responsible for the incident. “Beyond requesting the count of prisoners in La Picota to confirm the escape of 'Matamba', former head of the Gulf Clan and right-hand man of 'Otoniel', what is the Ministry of Justice doing, here Minister Wilson Ruiz has to take political responsibility for the INPEC disaster,” said one of the legislators.

55 dragonists from the prison district have been suspended and investigations will be opened, as well as the director of La Picota, Javier Papa, and the deputy director Oscar Murrillo. In the escape that ended with "Matamba", leaving the prison passing by a security guard, it is assumed that they handed over bribes worth 10 billion pesos.

Wilson Ruiz, for his part, assured that “in the face of this escape we launched a padlock plan with the support of the Police, the Dijín and the Army to find the recapture of the fugitive. And I also asked the Prosecutor's Office and the Prosecutor's Office to carry out the respective investigations to find those responsible in INPEC,” he said at a press conference.

According to unofficial information, Matamba had negotiated a deal with the country's judicial authorities, so he would soon meet with staff of the National Prosecutor's Office to discuss the terms of his collaboration. Matamba has an extradition order against him issued by the government of the United States, where he is required on charges of drug trafficking and money laundering, it is rumored that he fled to avoid being extradited.

The guard who left the cell door open for Matamba has been identified and arrested for aiding in the escape.

This Sunday, March 20, the identity of the first suspect and person responsible was captured for the escape of drug trafficker Juan Lárrison Estupiñan, alias Matamba. This is Inspector Milton Libardo Jiménez, who is the one accused of leaving the door ajar through which Matamba, as evidenced in the videos, managed to leave the prison with official INPEC uniforms. After the arrest and legalization of the capture, it is expected that on Tuesday the Prosecutor's Office will file the respective charges, for the alleged responsibility in the escape from Matamba, since he would have orchestrated the shift changes of the Thursday night guard, in order to proceed with Estupiñán's escape.

When SETEY agents arrived to confirm the escape of Matamba, several INPEC officials put up resistance to prevent them from taking pictures of the cell and later discovered that several of the security cameras in the pillory were not working.

Source Infobae Semena FBI Infobae