Colombian drug trafficker Santiago Gallón, linked to the murder of Andrés Escobar, the footballer who scored an own goal for his country’s national team in the 1994 World Cup, was found dead in central Mexico, Colombian President Gustavo Petro and two Mexican local authorities confirmed on Friday.
Gallón, who had lived in Mexico for several years, was found dead on Wednesday in the municipality of Huixquilucan in the State of Mexico, near the capital, a state government security source told Reuters. The victim had been shot at least once, the source added.
“Santiago Gallón was murdered yesterday in Mexico,” Petro posted on his Twitter account, adding that the killing likely occurred on Thursday.
“Gallón murdered the Antioquian soccer player Andrés Escobar in a nightclub out of jealousy,” he added, referring to the event that shook the soccer world and Colombia, which in the 1990s was suffering the ravages of drug-related violence.
Colombian authorities accused Gallón and his brother Pedro of covering up Escobar’s murder and sentenced them to 15 months in prison, amid criticism for a sentence considered too lenient. The brothers’ driver confessed to the murder and was sentenced to 43 years in prison, although he was released in 2005 after his sentence was reduced.
The same security source in the State of Mexico added that efforts were underway to repatriate the drug trafficker’s body to Colombia. So far, authorities have not specified either the motives for the crime or the possible perpetrators.
Neither the Attorney General’s Office nor the Mexican Foreign Ministry immediately responded to requests for comment on the case.
