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BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — The Colombian cop who commanded the operation that killed drug kingpin Pablo Escobar has been arrested for laundering money on behalf of a demobilized right-wing militia.
Colombia*s chief prosecutor said retired Col. Hugo Aguilar was detained Wednesday.
Authorities accuse Aguilar of amassing a fortune worth over $5.2 million from his ties to the now-defunct Central Bolivar militia.
The investigation against Aguilar started last year when he was photographed driving a Porsche even while arguing he was too indebted to pay reparations to victims of paramilitary violence.
Aguilar in 2011 was removed as governor of Santander state and later convicted of taking support from the illegal armed group.
He was lionized in Colombia for his dogged pursuit and killing of the Medellin drug cartel boss in 1993.
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