Brazilian drug lord who used plastic surgery to change looks arrested after 30 years on the run

Brazilian drug lord who used plastic surgery to change looks arrested after 30 years on the run

A Brazilian drug lord has been arrested after three decades on the run. Luiz Carlos da Rocha  was one of South Americas biggest cocaine kingpins. He is said to have amassed a personal fortune of $100m (£77m). 150 police agents carried out 24 raids and seized $10m worth of the drug lords assets, including planes, properties and luxury cars. Rocha had managed to avoid capture using plastic surgery to change his appearance. Jul 2, 2017
Colombias FARC celebrate end of role in war after weapons hand over

Colombias FARC celebrate end of role in war after weapons hand over

Colombias Marxist FARC rebels have ended their role in a half-century war that killed more than 220,000 and displaced millions by concluding their disarmament, handing in all but a few of their individual weapons to the UN. The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as FARC, turned in the remaining 40% of their firearms in Mesetas, a mountainous area in south-eastern Colombia. The roughly 7,000 former fighters have pledged to continue their struggle as a political movement and the 7,132 weapons will be stored in containers until they are moulded into a monument for peace. Explosives and bigger weapons are being cleared from caches nationwide. President Juan Manuel Santos, who took office in 2010, began secret talks with FARC commanders that led to negotiations in Cuba and a final peace accord late last year. He is trying for a similar accord with the National Liberation Army (ELN). Peace with the FARC, however, is unlikely to end violence in Colombia as the lucrative cocaine business has given rise to criminal gangs and traffickers. Jun 28, 2017
Corrupt law enforcement officers uncovered in FBI investigation

Corrupt law enforcement officers uncovered in FBI investigation

After rumors of corruption in the Northampton County Sheriffs Office in eastern North Carolina, the FBI opened an undercover investigation in April 2013 that had agents posing as drug traffickers looking for law enforcement officers who could act as armed guards for drugs and drug money. As deputies, correction officers and a policeman joined the conspiracy, the FBI began flying in to the Northampton regional airport large amounts of what their undercover agents pretended were cocaine and heroin. Jun 21, 2017