Poppy Bilderbeck
A fugitive drugs lord wanted in nearly 200 countries has been apprehended after his whereabouts were given away by a Colombian model's Facebook post.
We're often told to not overshare on social media, and this drug lord probably wishes he'd paid more attention to such advice.
Since February, Brian Donaciano Olguin Berdugo – aka Pitt, who is part of the Sinaloa Cartel (CDS) – had been working in Cali in the Colombian department of Valle del Cauca, south west of the capital of Bogota.
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The CDS was first established in Mexico in the 1980s and reportedly operates in the states of Sinaloa, Durango and Chihuahua.
It is considered to be the one of the most powerful drug trafficking organisations in the world, according to the United States Intelligence Community, and even one of the strongest criminal organisations.
However, the 39-year-old is said to have been found and arrested at a luxury apartment complex where he had been staying with a model after she shared an image of him on social media.
In February, representing the CDS, Berdugo reportedly travelled to Colombia to meet with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People's Army.
While in Cali, Berdugo – who is wanted in 196 countries for drug trafficking-related crimes – is said to have struck up a relationship with a Colombian model.
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Despite his wanted status, he spent time at an apartment with her and even visited the popular and often very busy hiking trail Cerro de Los Cristales.
The pair took a photograph of themselves kissing while at the tourist site, which the model later uploaded onto Facebook.
The photo was then analysed by the US Drug Enforcement Administration.
The suspect's location was subsequently discovered and passed on to the Colombian Anti-Narcotics Police.
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Berdugo was also reportedly caught with another woman at the Jose Maria Cordova International Airport on security cameras.
Police arrested Berdugo after having surveilled him for two weeks. He now has an extradition order to the US and remains in custody.
Police claimed they were offered a bribe amounting to $265,000 to have him released, with the suspect's lawyers continuing to fight against his extradition.
General Jorge Vargas Valencia, a police spokesperson, stated: "We believe this result was the most important in terms of capturing Mexican cartel delegates who come to commit drug trafficking crimes with FARC in Cauca."
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