Capture of alias 'Eliécer', Clan del Golfo leader in Antioquia's Urabá region
Alias Eliécer, identified as chief of the Carlos Vásquez sub-structure of Clan del Golfo, was captured in Carepa, Antioquia. He is being investigated for extortion and murders in the banana belt.
Alias Eliécer, alleged Clan del Golfo chief in Carepa, arrested in joint operation
According to infobae.com, alias Eliécer, identified as leader of a commission within the Carlos Vásquez sub-structure of Clan del Golfo, was captured in the El Silencio hamlet, rural area of Carepa, Antioquia. The operation was carried out jointly by the National Army and the Technical Investigation Body (CTI) of the General Prosecutor's Office.
The procedure was conducted by troops from Gaula Militar Urabá, attached to Army Brigade 17, who acted on a standing arrest warrant for the crimes of aggravated criminal conspiracy and aggravated homicide.
Career within the criminal organisation
According to military intelligence, the detainee had risen through the illegal structure before assuming a leadership role in the banana zone of Antioquia's Urabá region, where he had previously worked as a surveillance point.
The authorities link him to the central Juan de Dios Úsuga structure of Clan del Golfo and state that his area of influence encompassed the municipalities of Carepa, Chigorodó and Apartadó. The Prosecutor's Office must establish the precise scope of his functions and his links within the network.
Extortion of cattle ranchers, transporters and merchants
According to official reports, alias Eliécer allegedly coordinated the systematic collection of extortion from cattle ranchers, transporters and merchants in various municipalities of Urabá. The resources obtained were allegedly used to sustain the Carlos Vásquez sub-structure.
Information from intelligence agencies and human sources indicates that victims received pressure to deliver periodic payments under threats against their safety, their families or their property. The authorities did not specify the number of victims or the amounts demanded, nor from when these collections would have been operating.
Material seized during the procedure
At the time of capture, uniformed officers seized more than six million pesos in cash, four mobile telephones, ammunition of various calibres, pamphlets related to the Gaitanist Army of Colombia (EGC) and a motorcycle.
Investigators also found a Starlink satellite connection device. For the authorities, this equipment would have facilitated communications in rural areas with limited conventional telephone coverage. All material will be analysed as part of the judicial process.
The Army indicated that the seizure affects the logistical and financial capacities of the illegal structure, within the framework of Operation Ayacucho Plus Campaign Plan, an operation by the Seventh Division against the armed networks of Clan del Golfo in Antioquia.
Link to murders of family members of public security forces
In addition to extortion, authorities relate alias Eliécer to alleged participation in the murders of the wife of a professional soldier of the National Army and the wife of a Police National superintendent. According to information known by the authorities, these crimes would have occurred in 2021.
The investigation must determine whether the detainee had direct participation, whether he intervened in the planning or whether he exercised some form of influence over the actual perpetrators.
The case fell under the jurisdiction of the Prosecutor's Office, which will proceed with verification of elements collected during the operation and identification of possible members of the support network who, according to authorities, facilitated the extortion.
Source: Google News CO — Crime