Former Pablo Escobar associate arrested on drug charges in Colombia

A suspected drug trafficker and former associate of the late Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar has been arrested in Medellín following an international operation, Spanish police said on Saturday.

He is thought to be one of the main leaders of the Medellín Cartel - once recognised as the largest drug-trafficking syndicate in the world. The group was a powerful and highly organised Colombian drug cartel and terrorist organisation that was founded and led by Pablo Escobar.

The suspect was arrested in a joint operation by the National Police of Spain and Directorate of Police Intelligence (DIPOL) of the National Police of Colombia.

The suspect - whose arrest warrant was issued in Spain - is thought to be the direct responsible for the Cartel's operations in Europe, acting as a nexus between the Medellín Cartel, Italian mafia group "Ndraguetta" and Mocro Mafia, which operates from the Netherlands.