Víctor Carranza

Víctor Carranza Niño (8 October 1935 – 4 April 2013), often referred to as Don Víctor was a Colombian emerald dealer and the owner of emerald mines in the Boyacá mountains (a forested area not far from Bogotá), widely known as Colombia's "emerald czar." The economy of the area around the mines is dependent on the trade. Carranza faced several legal challenges and investigations throughout his life. In 1998, he was arrested and imprisoned on charges of forming paramilitary groups. In 2012, he was again investigated for alleged links to paramilitary activities and crimes such as homicide, forced displacement, and conspiracy.