A fugitive drug cartel has been arrested at a church in Colombia as he was about to tie the knot.

Video footage of the incident shows the police detaining a smiling Luis 'Machete' Santana as he makes his way down the aisle to get married. 

Santana, 24, is thought to be one of the Gulf Clan cartel's most senior members and is responsible for organising assassinations, firearm supply, drug trafficking activities and the security team.

Santana had been wanted by the police since 2017 but has evaded capture until now by hiding in a mountain hideout located in the state of Antioquia. Police managed to capture him after the drugs kingpin came out of hiding to get married at a church in the small town of Uramita. 

The prosecutor's office says Santana has been charged with aggravated conspiracy to commit a crime. He denies the charges.

The 3,000-strong Gulf Clan is considered Colombia’s most powerful drug cartel and neo-paramilitary group. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration's 2020 National Drug Threat Assessment report, as part of its wide-scale drugs operations, the gang "sends multi-ton quantities of cocaine via maritime conveyances to nearby Panama and other countries in Central America on a regular basis".