Brother of Interior and Justice Minister arrested

On 25 September 2008 the brother of Interior and Justice Minister Fabio Valencia Cossio was arrested for his alleged links to paramilitary drug gangs that are prominent among the elite class. Guillermo Leon Valencia, the brother of the interior minister, is one of several high-ranking political figures who have been linked to such paramilitary drug gangs. Valencia was part of a group that had been set up to deter leftist guerrillas from attacking landowners. However, shortly after the group came into existence, he became involved in drug trafficking, murder and extortion. Valencia was arrested after transcripts of intercepted telephone calls with the country's leading drug-trafficker, Deniel Rendon Henao, were published. Valencia denies all allegations and has stated that he is not linked to the drug-trafficking group.