Columbia Cartel Shuts Down Towns

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) – The Gulf Clan drug cartel in Colombia has shut down dozens of towns for four days in reaction to its leader being extradited to the U.S. for trial. Businesses closed, schools stayed shut, bus service was suspended and a professional soccer match couldn’t be played amid warnings by the cartel that anyone not staying at home would be attacked. The action appeared to be winding down Monday, according to reports from human rights groups and the Roman Catholic Church, but it underlined that the cartel is still a major security threat despite the highly publicized arrest last year of its leader, Dairo Antonio Usuga. The cartel decreed the stoppage a day after his extradition Wednesday to face drug trafficking charges in the U.S.