Five arrested in operation against extortion gang linked to drug trafficking in Cali and Bogotá
Law enforcement dismantled an organisation that pressured people to pay sums allegedly owed for illicit activities, using threats and floral arrangements with intimidatory messages.
Five arrested in operation against extortion gang linked to drug trafficking in Cali and Bogotá
A criminal network that allegedly collected money through intimidation by claiming debts originated from drug trafficking was dismantled in a joint operation carried out in the capital of Valle del Cauca and the capital of the country.
Officers from the Cali Metropolitan Police succeeded in apprehending five individuals who allegedly belonged to an illicit group called 'Nueva Generación', also known as 'Los del Rosario'. Simultaneously, formal charges were brought against a sixth person involved who was already serving a sentence in prison. All six will face charges of aggravated extortion and aggravated conspiracy to commit crime.
The operation included five simultaneous house searches executed in both cities. According to Gaula detectives, the gang had operated for approximately three years, with Cali and its surroundings as its main area of operation. However, officers determined that the criminals aimed to expand their activities to other capital cities such as Bogotá, Neiva and Barranquilla.
Those detained include the person who allegedly managed the group's financial resources, nicknamed 'Diego'; 'Garú', who was found in Bogotá and had an active arrest warrant; and 'El Sobri', who was located in an exclusive residential area of Cali, where he apparently was trying to hide from the authorities.
Investigators established that the organisation's targets were people connected to individuals who had been detained or sent to other countries. To force them to pay, the alleged criminals resorted to multiple coercion tactics, including threatening telephone calls, distribution of leaflets and, notably, the sending of funeral wreaths with inscriptions referring to known figures from the drug trafficking world.
During the searches carried out, security forces seized eleven million Colombian pesos in cash, a short-barrelled .38 calibre firearm with ammunition, ten mobile devices and three hundred labels for packaging cocaine bearing the legend "ELZAR". All these items will serve as evidence in the judicial investigation.
Additionally, investigators discovered that the organisation operated with close coordination between members on the street and others who directed some of the activities from inside prison facilities. The extortionists used intermediaries to transmit instructions and keep the criminal structure active.
The authorities highlighted that this blow represents significant damage to the gang's financial resources and operational capacity, which had alleged ties to organisations engaged in illegal drug trade. Finally, they reaffirmed the importance of the public reporting any extortion attempts by contacting Gaula's line 165.
Information based on report from El País
Source: Google News CO — Bogotá