'Mapaya' extradited to Colombia, leader of Los Espartanos detained in Bolivia
Jorge Isaac Campas Jiménez, alias 'Mapaya', was extradited to Colombia after spending more than six months in Palmasola prison. The Supreme Court of Justice authorised the procedure.
'Mapaya', chief of Los Espartanos, transferred to Colombia under Interpol custody
Jorge Isaac Campas Jiménez, alias 'Mapaya' and leader of the criminal organisation Los Espartanos, was extradited to Colombia to answer charges of crimes against humanity, according to confirmation from Interpol authorities. The procedure was executed after the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ) issued a resolution formally authorising the handover, responding to a request from Colombian justice so that charges against him would not go unpunished, reports El Deber.
Campas Jiménez had been held in custody since early April in Palmasola prison in Santa Cruz, where he was held for more than six months in the maximum security wing of PC-7, classified as a prisoner of extreme dangerousness.
Flight from Colombia and capture in Paurito
'Mapaya' was among the most wanted criminals in Colombia, a country from which he fled in 2021 to evade judicial proceedings for kidnapping, homicide, extortion, illegal weapons possession, arms trafficking and drug trafficking. Colombian police had offered a reward of 200 million pesos—more than 370,000 bolivianos—for information about his whereabouts.
His detention occurred in early April when agents from the Criminal Analysis and Intelligence Department (DACI) of the Special Force Against Crime (Felcc) detected, during sweeps in the Paurito area, the presence of armed men in a property. Upon entering the premises, police were met with gunfire, which resulted in a confrontation with no casualties on either side. In total, eleven individuals were arrested with firearms and remitted to Palmasola for illegal arms trafficking, criminal organisation and attempted homicide.
Transfer to La Paz and handover to Colombian authorities
Once the extradition was officially confirmed, Palmasola's management adopted strict security measures to prevent an escape or a rescue attempt. Police isolated Campas Jiménez for at least two days before the transfer.
Colombian police officers arrived in Bolivia with the mission to receive the defendant. On the day of the operation, 'Mapaya' was taken to La Paz by plane, escorted by Colombian officers and Interpol agents under the command of Colonel Marco Murgía, director of the delegation.
Background in Valle del Cauca
Judicial records place 'Mapaya' as one of the most wanted criminals in Valle del Cauca, where he operated mainly in Buenaventura extorting merchants. After an initial arrest in 2017 and subsequent release under house arrest, he fled; that same year he was reportedly located on the second floor of a building and brought before justice, according to available records.
Investigation into the property owner
On 9 April, Felcc and the Public Prosecutor's Office identified Ismael Balcázar Suárez as the owner of the Paurito property where the confrontation occurred. Balcázar was called as a witness, but his statement could not be taken due to the absence of the assigned police officer and the prosecutor. Subsequently, Felcc and the Public Prosecutor's Office searched the man's residence in the Jardines del Norte condominium, without finding him at the location.
Source: El Deber