Salvatore Mancuso Salvatore Mancuso Gómez , also known as " el Mono Mancuso " , " Santander Lozada " or " Triple Cero " , among other names ( born August 17 , 1964 in Montería , Córdoba ) is a Colombian paramilitary leader , once second in command of the United Self - Defense Forces of Colombia ( AUC ) paramilitary group . The paramilitary groups commanded by Mancuso fought the guerrillas ( mainly EPL , FARC and ELN ) , and financed their activities by receiving donations from land owners , drug trafficking , extortions and robbery . The AUC committed numerous atrocities and massacres against presumed guerrilla members and the civilian population . Mancuso was initially jailed in a Maximum Security Prison in Itagüí , Antioquia after a peace process that led to his demobilization and then transferred to a prison in the city of Cúcuta to help establish the whereabouts of some of the victims . In a surprise move by the Colombian government , Mancuso , along with 13 other top members of the AUC was extradited to the United States to stand trial on drug trafficking charges . Early years and education . Mancuso was born in Montería , the provincial capital of Córdoba Department , in the northern Colombian Caribbean Region . His father was an Italian immigrant and his mother a Montería native . He is the second of six children . He studied civil engineering in the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana and later farming administration in the " Escuela de Formación Técnica Agrícola " in Bogotá . He also studied English at the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania . Paramilitary leader . He became a prominent landowner in Córdoba Department and in 1995 he joined the " Autodefensas Campesinas de Córdoba y Urabá " paramilitary group , citing being tired of guerrilla extortion and abuses that the Colombian authorities failed to prosecute . The attacks by the guerrillas to the estate owners in the region brought as a consequence the formation of illegally armed self - defense groups to confront them . This new movement had the sympathy of some sectors of the Colombian Government such as politicians and some security forces , including then - current and former members of the Colombian National Army . The group was originally under the command of Carlos Castaño , with Mancuso as his main Lieutenant . The paramilitary groups in Colombia later expanded , and in April 1997 created what was known as " Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia " ( AUC ) , an umbrella organization under the leadership of the " " Autodefensas Campesinas de Córdoba y Urabá " " led by Mancuso and Castaño . Following the death of Castaño , Mancuso became the strong man , along with Castaño ' s brother Vicente and , consequently , the main leader in the peace process with the Colombian government of president Álvaro Uribe . His name has been involved in the command of at least eight paramilitary groups that perpetrated several massacres such as Mapiripán . On September 24 , 2002 Salvatore Mancuso and Juan Carlos Sierra Ramirez were formally charged by the Colombian and the American governments for narcotrafficking . The US Government applied for his extradition to the United States in order to be judged by an American court . Marcuso was so unconcerned about it that he attended the ceremony of the " Bloque Bananero " ' s demobilization , following the peace process with the Colombian State on November 24 , 2004 . The extradition application was initially accepted by government of Colombia , but soon was suspended to complete the demobilization process of the AUC . Mancuso demobilized officially and surrendered to the Colombian authorities in the " Bloque Catatumbo " ' s demobilization ceremony on December 10 , 2006 . Gonzo author Matthew Thompson describes his 2006 meeting with Mancuso in Montería in " My Colombian Death " ( 2008 ) . On January 15 , 2007 , Mancuso admitted his crimes to a Colombian court following a deal that his attorneys were pursuing to preclude his extradition to the United States for drug trafficking . According to the country ' s Justice and Peace Law , Mancuso should reveal trafficking routes and drug contacts in order to completely fulfill the deal . During his Colombian imprisonment , Mancuso had his own website and criticized the Colombian government , led by Álvaro Uribe Vélez on numerous occasions . Many politicians , members of the National Army and government officials , he claimed , had links with the AUC . Extradition to the United States . In the early morning of May 13 , 2008 , Mancuso and thirteen other paramilitary leaders were taken from their jail cells in a surprise action by the Colombian government . According to Colombian Interior Minister Carlos Holguín they had been refusing to comply to the country ' s Peace and Justice law and were therefore extradited to the United States . During his first appearance before the District of Columbia Court , Mancuso refused to speak after having said his name . His lawyer pleaded not guilty for him . The National Movement of State Crimes , a coalition of several victim organizations that have suffered from state or paramilitary violence , has asked " to return the paramilitary chiefs to the Colombian authorities so they may be processed by the ordinary justice system and not under the framework of the Law of Justice and Peace , since this framework benefits the victimizers and not the victims , since they have not told all of the truth , have not made comprehensive reparations to the victims , and have not dismantled their criminal structures . " The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Colombia stated that " [ . . . ] according to Colombian law , the reasons claimed by the President of the Republic to proceed with the previously - suspended extraditions are also grounds for their removal from the application of the ‘ Law of Justice and Peace ’ and for the loss of the benefits established therein " . The Inter - American Commission stated that this " affects the Colombian State ' s obligation to guarantee victims ’ rights to truth , justice , and reparations for the crimes committed by the paramilitary groups . The extradition impedes the investigation and prosecution of such grave crimes through the avenues established by the Justice and Peace Law in Colombia and through the Colombian justice system ' s regular criminal procedures . It also closes the door to the possibility that victims can participate directly in the search for truth about crimes committed during the conflict , and limits access to reparations for damages that were caused . This action also interferes with efforts to determine links between agents of the State and these paramilitary leaders . " After his extradition to the United States , Colombian paramilitary leader Salvatore Mancuso has continued to testify via satellite as part of the Justice and Peace process . On November 18 , 2008 , Revista Semana reported on Mancuso ' s declarations about the 1997 El Aro massacre , in which he stated that the AUC had received logistical help from the Colombian military and police . Venezuela politics . Mancuso confessed in 2012 that he and his armed group had been contacted by Venezuelan opposition to create an opportune environment for the overthrow of Hugo Chavez government . Accumulated wealth . Immediately after his extradition Colombian police seized Mancuso ' s luxury ranches , farms and plots of land , with a combined property value of US $ 25 million . On June 5 , 2008 Several Colombian media reported police in Montería found a suitcase allegedly containing Mancuso ' s shadow administration , revealing more property owned by the warlord through secret associates .