An alleged transnational drug trafficker with ties to one of Colombia’s most prolific narco-terrorist organizations, the Gaitanist Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AGC), commonly known as the Clan del Golfo, was arrested in Medellín, Antioquia on Friday, December 13 following a drone- aided National Police operation. Colombia’s Ministry of Defense identified the suspected AGC trafficker as Christopher “Dips” Neil, a British citizen who allegedly facilitated the smuggling of narcotics including cocaine and heroin to the UK and Ireland on behalf of the AGC.
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Colombia’s Ministry of Defense reported that Neil was the subject of an Interpol Red Notice and is wanted in the United Kingdom for charges of unlawful conspiracy associated with the supply and import of cocaine and heroin, money laundering, laundering of proceeds from illicit drug trafficking, and transfer of criminal property from England to Wales.
He was arrested following a joint operation conducted by Colombia’s National Police and Interpol that utilized drones and on-the-ground surveillance to track Neil prior to his arrest. In footage published by both President Gustavo Petro and the Ministry of Defense, Neil can be seen walking two dogs through the streets of Medellín while his vehicle is tracked by drone. Police are then seen closing in on Neil, after which the alleged drug trafficker is cornered in a parking lot by police and arrested. [1]
In posts on X, President Gustavo Petro and the Ministry of Defense announced the arrest, with Petro claiming that Neil is the son-in-law of a key figure within the AGC known as “Monoleche”, a figure he previously asserted to be responsible for the murder of “peasant militants” belonging to Colombia Humana, the left-wing political party founded and led by the president. [2] [3]
The arrest of Neil, if he is proven to be a key trafficker to these Northern European markets, will be a sizable blow to the AGC in their efforts to export narcotics to important transit ports like Dublin and Cork, as well as highly profitable hubs including London and Bristol. Ties with the ‘Ndrangheta mafia and Balkan organized criminal groups—which the AGC is known to work with to smuggle drugs into Europe—could also be strained or severed with Neil’s arrest, harming the AGC’s profits in Europe. [4]
Sources
Ministerio de Defensa Nacional (@mindefensa), “Ya está en Bogotá el narcotraficante Christopher Neil, alias ‘Dips’, capturado por la @PoliciaColombiaen Medellín y que tiene notificación roja de Interpol.El capturado es un “narco invisible” vinculado al subsistema de tráfico y delitos conexos, a partir de sus actividades financieras y conexiones nacionales e internacionales; además, es el coordinador del Clan del Golfo para el tráfico de cocaína hacia Escocia 🏴, Gales 🏴, Inglaterra 🏴 e Irlanda 🇮🇪.Alias ‘Dips’ es solicitado por las autoridades del Reino Unido 🇬🇧, por los delitos de conspiración ilícita asociada para suministrar e importar cocaína y heroína, blanqueo y lavado de activos producto de tráfico ilícito de estupefacientes y transferencia de propiedades criminales de Inglaterra a Gales.”, X, December 13, 2024, post
Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo), “Capturado el narcotraficante inglés Cristopher Neils, yerno de alias "Monoleche" y contacto del clan del golfo para la exportación de cocaína hacia el Reino Unido.”, X, December 13, 2024, post
Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo), “Las haciendas de los terratenientes involucrados en el asesinato de los militantes campesinos de Colombia Humana en San Marcos, Sucre, son cuidadas por alias Monoleche”, X, October 30, 2020, post
“‘Ndrangheta, Main European Ally of Latin American Narcotraffickers”, Diálogo Americas, February 14, 2023, https://dialogo-americas.com/articles/ndrangheta-main-european-ally-of-latin-american-narcotraffickers/