Cause of death Shot Dead | Name Wilber Varela | |
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Other names El Jabon, El Negro, El Jefe, El Comandante. Spouse(s) Yovanna Guzman (until 2008) Children Wilber Felipe Varela Camacho Similar Carlos Lehder, Pablo Escobar, José Gonzalo Rodríguez Gacha | ||
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.
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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.
Death
In early 2008, Varela Fajardo was found murdered in a hotel resort in the state of Mérida, in Venezuela. 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.
Popular culture
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.
