Guards waved the car carrying Jose Santacruz Londono through the gates of the maximum-security prison and onto the streets of the capital. After about six months in jail, the No. 3 man in the Cali drug cartel was a fugitive again.
Santacruz removed a one-way mirror from a prison interrogation room Thursday and slipped through the opening, apparently with the help of accomplices, said Norberto Pelaez, head of the national prison system.The ranking member of the world's largest drug gang drove out of La Picota prison in a getaway car disguised as a prosecutor's car, officials said. Prosecutors' cars are not checked when they enter or leave the prison.
RCN radio said Santacruz's absence was noticed at a 4 p.m. head count.
The escape is likely to anger U.S. officials, who believe Colombia's justice system is too lenient on drug traffickers. The United States has indicted cartel kingpins, but Colombia's 1991 constitution forbids extradition of its citizens.
In March, the United States must decide whether to certify Colombia as an ally in the war on drugs. Without certification, Colombia could lose some U.S. aid.