These individuals, one man and three women, were accused of association to commit crimes and manufacturing, carrying or possessing firearms, with which they would carry out extortions against merchants and ranchers in the departments of Casanare, Meta, Boyacá and Cundinamarca.
Within the framework of military operations, and thanks to military intelligence information, the National Army, in coordination with the Colombian Aerospace Force and jointly with the CTI (Technical Investigations Corps) of the Attorney General's Office, found a house in a rural area of the municipality of Paratebueno, Cundinamarca, where alleged members of the criminal component of the Organized Armed Group (GAO) Clan del Golfo, Gonzalo Oquendo Urrego Substructure, were staying overnight.
At the time of the arrest there was a crossfire, as these people resisted arrest. Once arrested, they were put into custody of the authorities for the prosecution process, which determined the length of time in prison for the man, and house arrest for the women. A minor, aged 14, was recovered and put into custody of the Family Wellbeing for the restoration of his rights.
These individuals are accused of being, apparently, direct collaborators of alias Villazón, ringleader of hitmen, and alias Pipe, finance ringleader of the GAO Clan del Golfo, Gonzalo Oquendo Urrego Substructure, and would be those who carried out extortion activities against merchants and ranchers in the municipalities of Villanueva, San Luis de Palenque, Trinidad, Paz de Ariporo and Maní, in the department of Casanare; Barranca de Upía and Puerto Gaitán, in the department of Meta; in San Luis de Gaceno, Boyacá, and in Paratebueno and La Playa, in the department of Cundinamarca.
Four motorcycles, long shotgun-type weapons and a carbine, ammunition, a hand grenade, military accessories and communications equipment (a state-of-the-art satellite radiotelephone, cell phones and SIM cards, from which they made extortion calls) were found by troops at the scene of the arrests; in the same way, checkbooks signed with the letters AGC, with which they would make the collection of money from extortion. This material was put into custody of the authorities.
In this way, the Sixteenth Brigade, with the Guías de Casanare Group of the National Army, jointly and in coordination ratify their commitment to the civilians and continue working for the Orinoquia region, fighting against the illicit activities that finance the armed groups outlaw.
Source: Press - Eighth Division of the National Army
