Drug lord Dairo Antonio Usuga, also known as Otoniel, who is the head of the Gulf Clan (Clan del Golfo), was captured in Necocli, Antioquia Department, as part of a special operation last month.
"With deep sorrow, I report that in an ambush perpetrated by criminals from the Gulf Clan, a captain, a corporal and two soldiers of our Army, who were protecting the community of Santa Lucia in Ituango [located in Antioquia Department], were cowardly murdered," Mateus wrote on Twitter on Sunday.
According to Colombian President Ivan Duque, the capture of Otoniel was a major blow to drug trafficking and is comparable to the fall of drug lord Pablo Escobar in the 1990s.
Following Otoniel’s capture, Colombian police have warned of possible Gulf Clan attacks.