People remain outside as men work at the Monaco building, which was once home to Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar, and has been covered with pictures of victims of his Medellin cartel, in Medellin, Colombia, on Tuesday. Photo: AFP

Recorded confessions made by the man who was Colombia's most wanted drug lord before his arrest have been stolen, in another blow to his latest trial, officials said Saturday.

The recordings of Dairo Antonio Usuga, also known as "Otoniel," were made Wednesday by a member of the Truth Commission, the body investigating a decades-long conflict between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) that ended with a 2016 peace deal.

The commission reported that on Friday, "unidentified persons entered the investigator's home at night," according to a statement. 

The commission had already stressed Thursday the need to have "guarantees" that Otoniel's testimonies were received "in confidentiality," after various media outlets reported police officers were present during the interrogations. 

Police interrupted a hearing for Otoniel Thursday, arguing there were concerns he was planning to escape. 

The Truth Commission also asked authorities and the international community, including the United Nations, for conditions to continue investigating "without intimidation." 

Usuga, 50, was arrested in October in northwest Colombia's dense jungle during an operation involving some 700 uniformed agents backed by 18 helicopters. The government of conservative Ivan Duque has expressed its intention that he be extradited soon to the US. 

Colombia is officially at peace after signing a pact with the FARC guerilla group in 2016 to end more than half-a-century of armed conflict. 

AFP