The capture of the main financial operator of drug trafficking consolidates the dismantling of the international network that introduced more than 120 tons of cocaine annually into Europe, partially neutralized in October 2025.
The investigation has allowed authorities to attribute to the detainee the seizure of more than 16 tons of cocaine in different countries, as well as the movement of nearly 40 million euros in less than six months.
The Civil Guard and the National Police of Colombia, within the framework of operation GULUPA II, have arrested in Medellín the man known as “Medio Labio”, considered one of the main financial operators of the Clan del Golfo and a reference point for the so-called “invisible drug traffickers” or fourth generation.
The arrest is part of the second phase of the international operation GULUPA, which in October 2025 dismantled a criminal organization responsible for introducing more than 120 tons of cocaine into Europe through the main ports of Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands.
The investigation began in 2022 by the Central Operational Unit (UCO) of the Civil Guard, when several high-value targets (HVT) were identified, responsible for coordinating and organizing a large part of the cocaine that arrived at European ports each year, culminating, with the arrest of the man known as “Medio Labio” in this second phase, in the complete dismantling of the logistics and financial branch of the Gulf Clan.
Financial leader of the Gulf Clan and a leading figure among the “invisible drug traffickers”
“Medio Labio” is considered by investigators to be one of the top exponents of international drug trafficking, operating from seemingly legal business structures, avoiding direct exposure and delegating to intermediaries and front men to prevent identification, but having an even greater logistical capacity.
The detainee allegedly performed financial management, money laundering and international coordination functions for structures linked to the Gulf Clan for more than two decades, guaranteeing the economic flow and availability of cocaine shipments destined for Europe.
Key player in international drug trafficking
The organization, partially dismantled in the first phase of Operation GULUPA, maintained direct contact with suppliers of the Gulf Clan and had established alliances with criminal networks in America and Europe, using transit countries to ensure constant shipments to European clients.
In this network, the now-detained individual allegedly acted as a financial and strategic link between Colombian suppliers and logistical structures based in Europe.
Similarly, he had been managing the criminal legacy of his cousin “Don Mario”, founder of the Gulf Clan, and had managed to link this narco-terrorist organization with European mafias and Mexican cartels, while consolidating a network of cocaine storage warehouses in Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic, where he stored shipments of up to 20 tons.
Furthermore, he is linked to networks associated with the Cartel of the Suns in Venezuela, coordinating cocaine trafficking for them through the international route Colombia – Venezuela – Europe and Africa.
International cooperation and operational continuity
The arrest was made possible thanks to the ongoing exchange of intelligence between the Spanish Civil Guard and the Colombian National Police within the framework of cooperation established in Operation GULUPA, considered a milestone in the fight against international drug trafficking.
The police operation was carried out by the Central Anti-Drug Group of the Central Operational Unit (UCO) of the Civil Guard, the National Police of Colombia (DIPOL), under the coordination of EUROPOL and the Technical Unit of Judicial Police (UTPJ) through the GDIN project.