Blow to Los Pachenca in Santa Marta: 27 rifles and grenade launcher seized
The National Police, with DEA support, found a cache belonging to the Libardo Vergel front in Santa Marta. President De La Espriella announced the operation on Saturday.
Joint operation with the DEA dismantles Los Pachenca arsenal in Santa Marta
The National Police seized 27 rifles, one grenade launcher, 19 magazines and 728 cartridges from a cache belonging to the Libardo Vergel front of the Autodefensas Conquistadoras de la Sierra Nevada—known as "Los Pachenca"—in Santa Marta, according to vanguardia.com. The operation was coordinated with the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and was announced on Saturday by President Abelardo De La Espriella.
The military material was placed at the disposal of the Office of the Attorney General of the Nation, which will carry out the corresponding judicial proceedings and determine the origin of the weapons and their possible connection with criminal activities.
De La Espriella described the results as a direct blow to the armed and logistical capacity of the criminal organisation. "We will pursue these narco-terrorists with all the legitimate force of the State: capture them or eliminate them in operations, and strip them of the weapons and resources with which they finance crime," the president declared.
Brigadier General William Castaño Ramos, director of the Police's Anti-Narcotics division, noted that the coordination between the institution's investigative capacities and international cooperation makes it possible to locate and seize material that could otherwise be used by criminal structures.
This operation adds to other previous actions against the Autodefensas Conquistadoras de la Sierra Nevada, including the elimination of the group's second-in-command, the capture of members of its structure and the seizure of one tonne of cocaine.
In a separate operation, the Police recovered approximately one tonne of marijuana that was being transported in a lorry on the Pan-American highway, in the stretch between Santander de Quilichao and Popayán, in Cauca. A person allegedly linked to the criminal network was captured during the procedure. Authorities found 1,000 packages of plant material, whose contents were pending official confirmation at the time of the announcement.
"Let it be clear to criminals: we will not give you a break. We will continue closing off drug trafficking routes to them and striking their illegal businesses," De La Espriella stated on his X account.
Source: Google News CO — Crime