:quality(75)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/elcomercio/MG7J4LVM45BSLNCOTDETZEVB54.png "Nicolás Bergonzoli, the powerful former Colombian drug trafficker, committed suicide in the United States")
At 9 a.m. on Monday, October 4, Wellington Police, Florida, they found the corpse of one of the most powerful Colombian drug trafficker.
Federal sources confirmed to EL TIEMPO that in one of the luxurious houses in that place, located in Palm Beach County, the former Colombian drug trafficker Nicolás Bergonzoli committed suicide.
According to the forensic report, using his personal weapon, he shot himself in the head while his family was at the scene.
The case shook the underworld of the Colombian mafia because Bergonzoli was one of the most powerful drug traffickers 90’s.
In effect, he started out as one of the members of the Medellín cartel.
“He was a partner of ‘Julio Fierro‘ and then he formed the Pepes (Persecuted by Pablo Escobar). Later, he worked with the Norte del Valle cartel, with Helmer ‘Pacho’ Herrera. And later he sought refuge in the Self-Defense Forces: he was the protégé of Carlos Castaño“, a researcher told EL TIEMPO.
According to judicial sources, Bergonzoli had so many secrets from the Colombian mafia that he had the luxury of negotiating with Group 43 of the DEA.
In exchange for turning over dozens of drug traffickers, they allowed him to stay and live in Florida: “The same benefit was granted to aka Julio Fierro, but he went to a parade of his wife to Colombia and there they were murdered”.
In fact, the mafia pointed to Bergonzoli as the architect of the so-called Millennium operation, in which “big shots” of drug trafficking were arrested. In addition, he later became part of the so-called L-4, group of gangsters made up of ‘Cuco’ Vanoy ‘, alias Percherón and alias Manuelito.
Bitcoin, nephew and cocaine
The suicide of Bergonzoli was being kept under secret because it is wanted to establish if it is linked to an investigation that they advance federal agencies.
What is known so far is that he was engaged in personal businesses, such as that of gas stations. Although in Colombia they insisted that he would be linked to several of his old partners.
TIME established that Bergonzoli was once again on the radar of the authorities after the capture of his nephew, Sebastián: “He is the son of his brother Guillermo, who was kidnapped and murdered in Colombia. Nicolas raised him and he brought it to the United States ”.
The young man was captured in an investigation that tracks millionaires money movements through bitcoin, virtual currency whose price has skyrocketed.
:quality(75)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/elcomercio/4OOFIQH2DFG4ZBATYEJM6UCONI.jpeg "Nicolás Bergonzoli, the powerful former Colombian drug trafficker, committed suicide in the United States 1")
Bergonzoli was a member of the Medellín cartel and later helped hunt down Pablo Escobar.
The Cocaine Warehouse in Manhattan
The boy and his partner, alias ‘el Capi’, raised millionaire sums in Medellín, offering credit cards and pieces of gold.
But the case got complicated when federal agents seized 120 kilos of cocaine in a warehouse located in the south of Manhattan, linked to the nephew of the excapo.
In fact, his family had to pay a juicy bail to get him released while the investigations progress.
It is verified if it is true that the name of Nicolás Bergonzoli came to light in the midst of the testimonies of several of those involved.
EL TIEMPO tried to communicate with a couple of close friends of the former to find out their version and the details of the case against the nephew. However, they refrained from speaking.