Colombian paramilitary Rodrigo Tovar Pupo, center, is escorted by U.S. DEA Agents at his arrival in Opa-locka, Fla., Tuesday, May 13, 2008.
Colombian authorities say former paramilitary chief Rodrigo Tovar Pupo is back in the country to answer dozens of criminal complaints stemming from his role in atrocities ranging from mass killings to torture.
He was deported Monday from the United States, where he served 12 of a 16-year sentence for drug trafficking.
Tovar Pupo was once a high-ranking leader of the United Self Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC), blamed for massacres during the country’s bloody civil conflict.
The AUC is widely believed to have used its battles with leftist rebels to hide their illicit activities, including drug trafficking and extortion.