Colombia deports man called Peru's most-wanted drug lord

May 01, 2016 12:00 am • Last Updated: May 01, 2016 11:21 pm

Alleged Peruvian drug trafficker Gerson Galvez, left, shouts at the press as he is escorted by a police officers into a Peruvian Air Force plane, in Bogota, Colombia, Sunday, May 1, 2016. Galvez who is one of Peru's most wanted criminals was captured by the Colombian police in Medellin on Saturday and was handed over to the Peruvian authorities. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

BOGOTA, Colombia — Colombian police have announced the capture of a man described as Peru's most-wanted drug trafficker.

Officials say Gerson Galvez, or alias "Caracol," was arrested at a Medellin shopping center and expelled on Sunday to Peru because he lacked migration papers.

Peruvian authorities say Galvez was first spotted in March in Ecuador and his movements had been tracked since then in Panama and Colombia.

Colombian police say he owned a luxury apartment in Medellin.

Galvez is wanted for more than 100 killings in Peru, where he managed large shipments of cocaine from the main seaport in Callao. Colombian authorities dubbed as Latin America's new "El Chapo," in reference to Mexican drug lord Joaquin Guzman.

The U.S. government says Peru is the world's largest producer of cocaine.

Peru's Chief of Police Vicente Romero, left, and Colombia's National Police Chief Jorge Nieto talk to the media during a press conference in Bogota, Colombia, Sunday, May 1, 2016. Romero said that alleged Peruvian drug trafficker Gerson Galvez was captured by Colombian National Police in Medellin on Saturday. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

Comment threads are monitored for 48 hours after publication and then closed.

STORIES THAT MAY INTEREST YOU