A NOTORIOUS drug lord wanted by prosecutors in the United States escaped from a prison in Colombia on Friday, authorities confirmed.

Juan Larrinson Castro Estupinan, known as Matamba, is a powerful figure in the Gulf Clan drug trafficking organization. He was detained last May and accused of asset laundering and of trafficking cocaine and heroin.

On Friday, he escaped from the La Picota prison in Bogota, allegedly with inside help. Colombian President Ivan Duque told reporters that he had instructed the attorney general to ensure that those who helped Castro Estupinan escape are arrested. One guard has already been detained, Colombian Justice Minister Wilson Ruiz said. Duque said he was leading investigators in hatching a plan to “recapture this criminal.”

Castro Estupinan is also under investigation for committing crimes with the aim of committing murder, as well as extortion and the illegal carrying of weapons.

Formerly a guerrilla, Castro Estupinan fought on the side of paramilitaries during Colombia’s 60-year conflict between the government and rebels. He then struck a deal with Gulf Clan leader Dairo Usuga, known as Otoniel, who is also in prison, to take control of a group of 200 men inside the cartel, authorities said.(SD-Agencies)