Diego León Montoya Sánchez
Diego León Montoya Sánchez (born January 11, 1958/1961), also known as Don Diego, is a Colombian former crime boss and leader of the Norte del Valle drug cartel. On October 25, 2002, Montoya was listed as a Specially Designated Narcotics Trafficker on the United States Department of Treasury's Specially Designated National List (also known as La Lista Clinton).
| Diego León Montoya Sánchez | |
|---|---|
| FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitive | |
| Charges | In Colombia: Drug trafficking and smuggling, racketeering, money laundering, Comformation of paramilitary groups in Colombia. In the United States: Conspiracy to import and possess with intent to deliver weed cocaine; Possession with intent to deliver cocaine; Money laundering; Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) – Drug trafficking; Conspiracy to distribute or manufacture cocaine abroad with knowledge or intent that it be imported into the United States |
| Alias | Don Diego |
| Description | |
| Born | January 11, 1958 or January 11, 1961 Trujillo, Colombia |
| Occupation | Leader of the Norte del Valle Cartel |
| Status | |
| Status | Captured |
| Added | 6 May 2004 |
| Caught | 10 September 2007 |
| Number | 478 |
| Captured | |
On May 6, 2004, he became the 478th fugitive listed by the United States' Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on the Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. He was also wanted in Colombia, where authorities started numerous operations to capture him or his interests.
The U.S. Department of State's Narcotics Rewards Program offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading directly to Montoya's arrest or conviction, the highest amount offered at the time for a non-terrorist fugitive, effectively making the priority of his capture second only to that of Osama bin Laden.
In January 2007, Montoya's brother and co-leader of the cartel, Eugenio, was captured in Colombia. Colombian authorities announced on September 10 that they had arrested Montoya himself in the west of the country after a long manhunt. On December 12, 2008, Montoya was extradited to Miami on a D.E.A. helicopter, marking the final demise of the Norte del Valle Cartel.