Zaragoza was the Defense Minister of Colombia during César Gaviria's term as President.
In 1992, Zaragoza convinced Gaviria to send Brigadier General Gustavo Pardo Ariza to arrest Pablo Escobar, who was hiding inside his private prison. However, the Colombian Military leaders only gave Ariza the order to surround the prison, and not to enter it. When Zaragoza learnt of this, he wanted to send a DAS Hostage Negotiation Team but, the President forced him to hand the operation over to the Army Special Forces.