While the Prosecutor’s Office tries to establish whether Nicolás Petro, son of President Gustavo Petro, received hot money, one of those involved in this scandal is already in a plan to collect signatures to run for mayor of a municipality in La Guajira.
This is Samuel Lopesierra, a former drug trafficker known as The Marlboro Man. The subject is accused of delivering at least 1,000 million pesos – together with businessman Alfonso Hilsaca, alias Turco Hilsaca – to Gustavo Petro’s campaign, money that would have ended up in the pocket of the president’s eldest son.
Read More: Ex-narcos, officials and businessmen: who is who in the Nicolás Petro case?
“Thank God yesterday it was approved the registration committee of the Independent Alternative Movement (MAI) for the collection of signatures and support to obtain the endorsement of the people for Samuel Lopesierra as mayor of the municipality of Maicao. We hope for your support and for your handwriting to validate this process, which is for the collective well-being,” said Henry Peñalver, a member of the collection team.
Samuel Lopesierra served a sentence of 19 years in prison in the United States for drug trafficking. Upon his return to Colombia, he would have delivered at least 600 million pesos to Nicolás Petro to finance Gustavo Petro’s presidential campaign.
Enteresis: Nicolás Petro moved millions in cash and wove a network of patronage with his father’s government
Lopesierra is known as The Malboro Man because he is a consumer of the mentioned cigar brand. He was born in La Guajira and is 61 years old. He was accused of sending marijuana and cocaine to the north of the continent.
The peasant was always interested in the world of politics. At first it was believed that he was going to aspire to public office with the endorsement of the Historical Pact, but now he will go alone.