Colombia paramilitary chief held after years in hiding

Police said Hector Jose Buitrago, 71, was detained in a rural area north of Bogota, where he had grown a beard and passed himself off as a cattle rancher.

Mr Buitrago had more than 20 arrest warrants against him for alleged killings and drug-trafficking.

He refused to surrender when more than 30,000 paramilitaries demobilised in 2005 as part of a peace process.

Police said Mr Buitrago's arrest came after reports from informants and several months of surveillance.
 
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