One morning 15 years ago, a man hiding his face behind a newspaper surrendered to two U.S. agents in a Panama City cafe. That peaceful arrest — during which smiles were even exchanged — was the culmination of months of negotiations between U.S. authorities and one of Colombia’s most powerful drug traffickers. He was accused of flooding drug routes with more than 900 tons of cocaine and laundering billions of dollars. The scene, recounted by Colombian historian Petrit Baquero, marked the demise of Julio Lozano Pirateque, alias “Patricia,” and the organization he led. After being extradited, he served a six-year sentence and fell off the radar, until Colombian President Gustavo Petro began publicly accusing him of being the head of a criminal organization that, he claims, is plotting to assassinate him.

This structure, dubbed by Petro as the “New Drug Trafficking Board” (NJN), is — according to the president himself — one of the most dangerous enemies of the Colombian state. Its tentacles extend beyond cocaine: they also reach into the emerald business, soccer, and private security companies. And part of its leadership, according to intelligence sources, currently lives in Madrid. The existence and true power of this organization is shrouded in controversy in Colombia.

The “invisible narcos” report

The Colombian intelligence services have just shed more light on this criminal group, which until now operated in the shadows. In a secret report, to which EL PAÍS has had access, the NJN is described as a powerful organization, the heir to a former cartel considered the largest cocaine exporter in Colombian history. The network has taken root in Dubai, Mexico, Turkey, and Spain. Its leaders, unlike the old drug traffickers, have always been discreet and prefer to be seen as executives rather than gangsters. The dossier calls them “invisible narcos.”

The document, prepared by the National Intelligence Directorate, is being made public at a time of heightened regional tension. The White House accuses Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro of being the leader of the Cartel of the Suns, a supposed criminal group flooding the United States with drugs. However, Petro maintains that the Cartel of the Suns does not exist and that the drug traffickers are, in fact, the NJN. According to the Colombian president, this theory undermines the United States’ main argument for surrounding Venezuela with a large-scale military operation aimed at overthrowing Maduro.

Now, the U.S. administration has also linked Petro to similar businesses — Trump has called him an “illegal drug leader” without justifying his reasoning — and has sanctioned him, along with his family and top advisor, through the Treasury Department. Petro, however, claims to be a victim of criminal organizations, primarily the NJN, which he has alluded to dozens of times in his tweets and speeches.

Many have questioned the information about this criminal group. In June, the Colombian Prosecutor’s Office assured EL PAÍS that it had no proof of its existence, and the police chief himself acknowledged that he lacked “conclusive evidence” regarding a network with that name. But since then, some Colombian media outlets have revealed intelligence information that has provided clues about who might be part of the NJN. This new 21-page report — which includes dozens of names, organizational charts, and connections to criminals, soccer clubs, and companies — provides fresh information about this elusive organization.

The document attributes a dozen recent murders to the network — including that of a millionaire emerald miner, who was killed by a sniper in April — although it does not mention any plot against the Colombian president. Intelligence sources acknowledge that “there is no information to support this criminal group’s intention to kill Petro,” although the president, with information from other state institutions, insists on his accusation. “They must be investigated. That’s the order I gave to the police, but it must be passed on to the Attorney General’s Office, which is intimidated,” he said last Tuesday. According to the Colombian president, the NJN was also behind the fatal attack against opposition presidential candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay in June, although there is no known evidence to support this.

The report from the National Intelligence Directorate is a snapshot of an organization that collapsed with the arrest and extradition of its leaders 15 years ago and has been resurrected by adapting to changing times: From Pablo Escobar in the 1980s to drug lords directly involved in “various political, economic, and social sectors” and operating legal and illegal businesses around the world.

The organization is not as hierarchical as the old cartels and is reportedly led by five “strategic” leaders, including Julio Lozano Pirateque, the man who once waited for his arrest behind a newspaper. This former drug trafficker, linked to emerald mining since childhood, has assured Colombian authorities that he is disconnected from his former businesses and has denied any attempt to assassinate the Colombian president, according to intelligence sources confirmed to EL PAÍS.

Petro has been dedicating lengthy tweets to the NJN for months. He has described it as a network with “strong infiltration of the state” that reportedly gives orders to other powerful groups like the Gulf Clan. The report contains no information to confirm this theory, nor does it quantify its power and economic activity, but it does note that at least one of the leaders “may have a direct line” to the leader of this armed group, the largest in Colombia.

The NJN map has some countries marked in red. According to intelligence services, Dubai allegedly served as a “remote coordination center” for drug trafficking and money laundering activities while Lozano Pirateque resided there. But today, attention has shifted to Madrid, where the alleged drug trafficker reportedly settled.

Spain, center of operations

Another alleged ringleader — Jorge González, alias “J. la Firma,” currently indicted for drug trafficking offenses in Spain — lives in the Spanish capital. The NJN also has ties to Alejandro Salgado Vega, alias “El Tigre,” considered by the Spanish National Police to be one of the “most well-known and powerful drug traffickers in Spain,” who has been located in Dubai. El Tigre, investigated in the case of a high-ranking Spanish police official who was arrested with several million euros hidden in his home, is believed to be the organization’s link with European mafias. Another key figure is Rutdy Alirio Zárate, alias “Runcho,” identified as the boss of trafficking between Colombia and Spain.

In parallel, Turkey is consolidating its position as the organization’s “new haven,” while logistics and trade expand through Ecuador, Bolivia, Paraguay, Venezuela, and even Australia.

A good part of the NJN’s criminal operations are intertwined with legitimate businesses. Several leaders and their associates compete for the speculative emerald market, which exported $127.5 million in 2024, according to the National Mining Agency. “Their business conglomerate facilitated the legalization of money laundering,” the report states. But Colombian intelligence points to other businesses they may be using to launder money and obtain weapons: soccer — photos of the presidents of two clubs appear in the report — and private security companies.

The NJN model fits well into the criminal network now operating in Colombia, where the major drug trafficking clans have been replaced by dozens of organizations in which criminals from around the world operate. “Colombians have lost the major drug routes to major consumer markets,” explains historian Petrit Baquero. “We have a completely fragmented landscape. Colombia is full of Albanian, Italian, Belgian, and, of course, Latin American drug traffickers who are integrated into the different links of the production and export chain.” For Baquero, this fragmentation is an example of the “failure” of the anti-drug policies implemented over the past 50 years. “With more than 50 groups involved in different links of the business, the fight against drug trafficking is unmanageable.”

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