(Bloomberg) -- The so-called “Gulf Clan” cocaine cartel is close to handing itself in to Colombian authorities after President Juan Manuel Santos signed a law which would allow them to benefit from reduced sentences, the government said.
Lawyers representing the mafia group have indicated that its members will surrender once the law was signed, according who Santos, who said that the law will have “very important consequences over the coming days.”
The government estimates that the illegal army, which has also been known as the Urabenos, Clan Usuga and the Gaitanista Self-Defense Forces has about 3,000 members, according to Senator Ivan Cepeda, who was involved in reaching out to the group on behalf of the government.
Its leader, known by his alias Otoniel, released a video last year saying that the group was prepared to lay down its weapons. Cepeda said it wasn't certain how many of the cartel's members would take part in the process.
To contact the reporter on this story: Matthew Bristow in Bogota at mbristow5@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Matthew Bristow at mbristow5@bloomberg.net, Ezra Fieser
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