Salvatore Mancuso

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Salvatore Mancuso, was born in the Colombian northern Cordoba Department to an italian immigrant family. He studied in the prestigious Pontifical Xavierian University in the capital city of Bogotá. He then returned to Cordoba and became a successful farmer. In 1987 the guerrillas in Colombia forced him to join the self-defense groups after threatening and extorsioning his family. He was always second in command of the ACCU paramilitary group and after Carlos Castaño's disappearance he assumed joint command of the AUC organization. He got to be in command of 8 paramilitary forces which committed numerous massacres. He was also accused of illegal drug trafficking related activities by both Colombian and the United States which asked the Colombian government for his extradition. The extradition request was approved but conditionally suspended by Colombian government, as part of the peace process with the AUC. Mancuso demobilized December 10, 2005 with the Catatumbo Bloc.[1]