Colombian police arrest alleged partner of crime boss suspect Ridouan Taghi

The alleged partner of suspected organized crime boss Ridouan Taghi was reportedly arrested in Colombia after evading authorities in the Netherlands for years. Saïd R. is suspected of involvement in a series of street assassinations, failed homicide attempts, and abandoned murder plots known as the Marengo criminal process.

The 47-year-old was apprehended by Colombian police in Medellin, the Dutch police said on Friday. The arrest was made as part of a collaboration between the national unit of the Netherlands police, and two American law enforcement offices, the Drug Enforcement Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Dutch authorities noted that they were still in the process of confirming his identity on Friday afternoon.

"He is not afraid of carrying out a murder attempt in the presence of innocent children," police said about R. last year. "Since 2018, the hunt for him has intensified and a dedicated team of investigators has been working on the investigation. Despite the many efforts, this has not yet led to success."

Both R. and Taghi were fugitives with an active reward available for information leading to their capture. The Public Prosecution Service had offered a 100 thousand euro reward for either criminal suspect.

Taghi was captured last December in Dubai after he was on the run for years. R.'s brother, Mo R., is also in custody as part of the Marengo process.