COLOMBIAN POLICE ARREST ALLEGED CALI DRUG LORD

BOGOTA, Colombia (Reuters) -- Colombian police Wednesday arrested a man
whom they suspect headed the notorious Cali drug mob after its kingpins
were jailed in 1995 and 1996, local radio said.

Pedro Nel Herrera Rivera, said to be a relative of the cartel's former
number three Helmer ``Pacho'' Herrera, was seized in the southwest city of
Cali, powerbase of the crime syndicate, according to radio reports.

Police refused to officially confirm the arrest but said they would make a
full announcement at a news conference later.

The Cali cartel, once said to be responsible for 80 percent of the world's
cocaine supply, was virtually smashed when police detained Gilberto and
Miguel Rodriguez Orejuela in 1995 together with their top lieutenant Jose
Santacruz.

Much of the mob's former trade has been taken over by smaller splinter
groups such as the Norte del Valle cartel, also based in southwest Colombia.

Checked-by: Mike Gogulski