Mexican drug-runner arrested in Colombia after 'top model' girlfriend posted social media pics

Alleged Mexican drug trafficker Brian Donaciano Olguin Verdugo, alias 'Pitt', was arrested on Friday in the Colombian city of Cali after his public relationship with a model helped authorities find and capture him, local media reported.

According to a report from El Tiempo, Olguin Verdugo would regularly spend the night with the “top model” in a luxurious Cali condominium and she regularly posted images of their dates on social media. Those images, in which the couple appear hugging and kissing, were a key factor in the Colombian authorities’ success in locating Olguin Verdugo, an alleged member of the Sinaloa Cartel and close associate of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.

"He is the most important FARC link to the Sinaloa Cartel," Colombian National Police Director General Jorge Luis Vargas told El Tiempo.

Olguin Verdugo was allegedly sent to Colombia by Ismael 'Mayo' Zambada, the leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, to coordinate cocaine shipments to other countries, including Mexico. He is also allegedly the main point of communication between El Chapo’s sons and Colombia’s cocaine empire, La Opinion reported.

The Mexican trafficker first arrived in Colombia on Feb. 18, accompanied by several bodyguards who picked him up in an armored caravan. While his time in Colombia was marked by visits to luxury bars and restaurants, sources allege that on the weekends he would coordinate cocaine shipments from Cauca and Nariño.

Olguin Verdugo is currently wanted by the US Southern District Court for the Southern District of California, where he stands charged with conspiracy to traffic 668 pounds of cocaine. He is currently being held by Colombian authorities in Dijín Prison while his lawyers scramble to block his extradition to the United States.