Walid Makled, a member of a powerful business family in the central state of Carabobo and the presumed instigator of the January 2009 murder of journalist Orel Sambrano, was arrested in the Colombian city of Cúcuta on 20 August on a range of charges including drug trafficking.

A former policeman has been convicted of carrying out the murder, while two other persons have been arrested.

The editor of the political weekly ABC, vice-president of privately-owned Radio América 890 AM and a columnist for the regional daily Notitarde, Sambrano was gunned down in Carabobo on 16 January 2009 after daring to denounce the Makled family’s business activities.