Among all the war criminals from the German military during World War II, Klaus Barbie may be the most infamous. More than 40 years after he died in a French prison, a new report claims he was involved in setting up one of the most powerful South American drug cartels in the 70s.

CBS News reported that Barbie, also referred to as the "Butcher of Lyon," met drug lord Roberto Suarez in South America in the 70s and ended up assisting Suarez in developing a large and powerful drug cartel.

The report, attributed to the German publication Der Spiegel, indicated that Suarez's son, Gary Suarez, confirmed that Barbie was "an important person to my father." He added, "He knew something about security, military strategy, and Secret Service work."

Barbie reportedly was also involved in a series of military-style efforts that helped coordinate a coup in Bolivia, along with eliminating people opposed to the Suarez drug cartel.

Barbie was tracked down by Nazi hunters in the 80s. After his extradition to France, he was sentenced to life and died in a French prison in 1991. Much of Barbie's postwar life and his escape from Europe, including U.S. government involvement, is spelled out in a Justice Department document from the mid-80s.

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