Panama extradites Colombian criminal leader D-Max to Colombia

Panamanian migration authorities have extradited Colombian national Juan Carlos Castillo Vaca, known as ‘D-Max’, to Colombian authorities. Castillo Vaca is identified as the alleged leader of the criminal group ‘Los Dimax’, which operates primarily in Cali, Colombia.

Castillo Vaca had previously served a 48-month prison sentence in Panama for money laundering under the false identity of Gabriel Ángel Lozano Verona. His true identity was discovered by authorities in September after his sentence concluded and he was moved to a migration center for deportation.

He faces more than 40 years of prison time and is the subject of an Interpol Red Notice. He is allegedly linked to large-scale drug trafficking, homicide, extortion, and illegal ‘gota a gota’ lending operations. His criminal organization has also been connected to a recent assassination attempt involving firearms in the El Retiro neighborhood.