Alias "Alejo", wanted for kidnapping in Sucumbíos, arrested in Colombia
Ecuador, Colombia and Interpol police arrested alias "Alejo", a mid-level commander of the Comandos de la Frontera, in Puerto Asís. He was wanted for extortive kidnapping.
Binational operation captures "Alejo", high-value target linked to 2019 kidnapping
The National Police of Ecuador, in coordination with Colombian authorities and Interpol, arrested the individual known as alias "Alejo" in Puerto Asís, Putumayo, identified as a high-value target by Ecuadorian justice. According to eltelegrafo.com.ec, the detainee maintained a Red Notice from Interpol and was wanted for the crime of extortive kidnapping.
Interior Minister John Reimberg indicated that "Alejo" is one of the alleged perpetrators of the kidnapping of Vidal Salinas Sarmiento, owner of a hotel in Sucumbíos, which occurred in 2019. Salinas has remained missing since then.
To evade detection, the detainee had allegedly used dual identity—Ecuadorian and Colombian—which allowed him to move between both countries and conceal his criminal records from authorities.
Investigations place "Alejo" as a mid-level commander of the Comandos de la Frontera, an armed structure with a strong presence in the Colombian department of Putumayo and in the border zone with Ecuador. This organisation is linked primarily to drug trafficking, control of coca-growing zones and the transport of drug shipments to Ecuador and Brazil.
In Ecuador, the Public Prosecutor's Office has prosecuted members of this structure for crimes related to drug trafficking, arms trafficking and money laundering. In July 2025, thirteen people were sentenced for organised crime within the framework of investigations into the same network, whose operations extend across the Colombia-Ecuador border and provinces such as Sucumbíos.
Reimberg stressed that the arrest was made possible through information sharing and binational coordination between the two countries. The detainee was placed at the disposal of Ecuadorian justice to continue judicial proceedings against him, while authorities maintain their actions against organised crime structures operating on both sides of the border.
Source: Google News EC — Crime