Victor Carranza Dead, 'Emerald Czar' Dies Of Lung Cancer At 77
Victor Carranza Dead, 'Emerald Czar' Dies Of Lung Cancer At 77
By LIBARDO CARDONA 04/04/13 10:55 PM ET EDT
BOGOTA, Colombia -- The man known as Colombia's "emerald czar" survived at least two assassination attempts and avoided criminal conviction despite being prosecuted for allegedly forming far-right militias.
What finally felled Victor Carranza was lung cancer, with officials announcing the death of the mustachioed emerald magnate on Thursday at Bogota's top hospital, Fundacion Santa Fe, at age 77.
~snip~
It was there that he allegedly deepened support for the paramilitary militias that are blamed for the lion's share of killings in Colombia's decades-old dirty war.
In 1998, Carranza was arrested and charged with kidnapping and forming illegal right-wing militias, which prosecutors have blamed for more than 50,000 killings over the past three decades.
More:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/05/victor-carranza-dead-emer_n_3020175.html
