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Colombia's most wanted drug trafficker has finally been captured by security forces after evading arrest for more than a decade.

Dairo Antonio Usuga David, known by his alias Otoniel, is accused of sending dozens of shipments of cocaine to the United States and orchestrating a ruthless drugs empire, killing police officers, recruiting minors, and sexually abusing children among other crimes.

He was arrested on Saturday in the Uraba region of Colombia when a military force of over 500 soldiers descended on his jungle hideout, marking the culmination of a decade-long manhunt dubbed operation 'Osiris'.

Colombian President Ivan Duque likened the arrest of Otoniel, 50, to the capture three decades ago of Pablo Escobar, given that the drug lord managed to evade authorities and retain his freedom for over 10 years.

 'This is the biggest blow against drug trafficking in our country this century,' Duque said during a broadcast video message. 'This blow is only comparable to the fall of Pablo Escobar in the 1990s.'