Wilber Varela

Wilber Alirio Varela Fajardo (November 6, 1957 – January 30, 2008), also known as Jabón ("Soap"), was a Colombian police agent who then became a drug dealer and member of the Norte del Valle Cartel. A Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act indictment was filed in the District Court of the District of Columbia by the Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Section of the United States Department of Justice Criminal Division against the leaders of the North Valley Cartel, including Varela Fajardo. According to the indictment, the North Valley Cartel exported approximately 500 metric tons of cocaine worth over $10 billion from Colombia to the United States, often through Mexico, between 1990 and 2004. The indictment was unsealed in May 2004. A provisional arrest warrant was issued and was sent to the U.S. Embassy in Bogota.

Wilber Varela
BornNovember 6, 1957
Roldanillo, Valle del Cauca, Colombia.
DiedJanuary 30, 2008 (aged 51)
Mérida, Venezuela.
Cause of deathMurdered
Other namesEl Jabón, El Negro, El Jefe, El Comandante.
OccupationFormer National Police of Colombia agent, Drug lord
Spouse(s)Yovanna Guzman (until 2008)
Children1
AllegianceHead of Norte del Valle Cartel

In addition, in March 2004, a grand jury in the Eastern District of New York indicted Varela on Drug Trafficking Charges. The United States Department of State offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Varela Fajardo.[1]

Death

In early 2008, Varela Fajardo was found murdered in a hotel resort in the state of Mérida, in Venezuela.[2][3] On January 30, 2008, Venezuelan authorities confirmed his death after analyzing his fingerprints.

Colombian authorities believe he was murdered by his own men on orders of jailed paramilitary drug lord Carlos Mario Jiménez, alias "Macaco", to end Varela's power struggle in the rival city Medellín and surrounding areas in Antioquia. With Varela's death, Jimenez consolidated himself as the maximum authority over drug trafficking in Colombia, with control of the drug trade in 10 Colombian states and authority over the cartel. Jimenez was later extradited to the United States on May 7, 2008, on drug trafficking charges.

In TV series El Señor De Los Cielos and El Cartel, he is portrayed as the character Milton Jimenez alias El Cabo, by the Colombian actor Robinson Diaz.

See also

References
  1. US Department of State: Wilber Alirio Varela Fajardo; Deceased state.gov Accessed September 10, 2007.
  2. BBC, February 1, 2008, Colombian drugs lord found dead
  3. http://2001-2009.state.gov/p/inl/narc/rewards/39417.htm
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