Colombia emerald czar 'big time narco': Declassified US cables .

[Judi Lynn]

Colombia emerald czar 'big time narco': Declassified US cables .
Sunday, 23 December 2012 09:22 Adriaan Alsema

Infamous businessman Victor Carranza, known in Colombia as the "Emerald Czar" because of his control over the country's emerald exploitation, was a "big time narco" and paramilitary leader, according to declassified U.S. cables and intelligence reports from the 1990s.

The formerly secret documents were declassified at the petition of Washington-based research group the National Security Archive (NSA), that published the embassy, army and intelligence reports on its website.

The 77-year-old Carranza, who is currently under criminal investigation for his alleged involvement in the formation and leadership of paramilitary groups, was a "big-time narco" with ties to major drug traffickers, a 1991 diplomatic cable obtained by the NSA said.

Allegations that the controversial businessman from the east of Colombia was leading illegal armed groups were repeated in six other declassified documents from the embassy, the CIA, the U.S. Southern Command, the State Department and the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA).

More:
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/27519-colombia-emerald-czar-big-time-narco-declassified-us-cables.html

[Judi Lynn]

1. Colombia emerald czar linked to AUC massacre: Declassified US cables .

Colombia emerald czar linked to AUC massacre: Declassified US cables .
Friday, 28 December 2012 07:33 Rob Edmond

A notorious Colombian emerald dealer is accused of perpetrating a massacre of 12 people in southern Colombia in 1997, local media reported on Thursday.

According to a declassified United States government report, Victor Carranza, also known as "The Emerald Czar" because of his control over emerald exploitation in Colombia, was accused of facilitating a massacre in Miraflores with the help of the right-wing paramilitary group AUC. The accusations in the report were backed up by a former AUC member, Fredy Rendon Herrera, alias "El Aleman," Caracol Radio reported.

~snip~

The report gets even murkier when it notes that the Colombian army, which was rife with corruption and AUC supporters at the time, allowed paramilitaries to travel to a remote airport with the intention of carrying out the killings. The report states that "elements of the Colombian army had been fully aware in advance of the plans and activities in Miraflores."

~snip~

This is not the first time Carranza has been accused of having ties with the AUC. According to local media, the Emerald Czar escapes conviction every time he is brought to court because witnesses get killed or threatened.

http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/27540-colombia-emerald-czar-linked-to-auc-massacre-declassified-us-cables.html