Colombia dismantling agency that oversaw seized, lost narco assets

[Judi Lynn]

Colombia dismantling agency that oversaw seized, lost narco assets
By Associated Press, Published: July 23

BOGOTA, Colombia — After police gunned down the notorious Colombian drug trafficker Gonzalo Rodriguez Gacha in 1989, his sprawling cattle ranch was among the first of thousands of properties seized from drug lords to come under control of a unique state agency.

Two decades later, the 1,340-acre (542-hectare) ranch has literally disappeared, shrinking bite by bite as neighbors kept extending their properties into it in the absence of state control.

The story of the ranch mirrors that of the National Drug Office, or DNE, which was supposed to manage it and other seized assets of the illegal narcotics trade.

But 20 years after the DNE was established, billions of dollars in drug assets that the government planned to use to benefit crime victims and law enforcement have simply disappeared, officials say. The agency itself has been so hampered by misappropriation, mismanagement and maddening legal challenges that President Juan Manuel Santos has decided to scrap it.

More:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/americas/colombia-dismantling-agency-that-oversaw-seized-lost-narco-assets/2011/07/23/gIQAlqm2UI_story.html