In 2022, the Military Gaula (Anti-Extortion and Anti-Kidnapping Group) have intervened 21 municipalities and 60 neighborhoods as part of the operations Plan to prevent extortion in the most affected sectors.
The Military Gaula have carried out 358 tactical missions to combat and eradicate the crimes of extortion and kidnapping.
The Unified operation Groups for Personal Freedom, Military Gaula, (Anti-Extortion and Anti-Kidnapping Group), have been carrying out a permanent work in coordination with the Gaula of the Police, the Technical Investigation Corps, the Attorney General's Office, Divisions and Military Brigades, to put an end to the criminal operation that directly attacks the personal freedom and goods of Colombians.
So in the year 2022, troops have reported significant results with the dismantling of criminal groups across the country, arresting ringleaders of organized armed groups, the rescue and liberation of kidnapped people, instructions to civilian personnel and presentation of the anti-kidnapping and anti-extortion campaign I don't pay, I denounce in the framework of the intervention Plan led by colonel Carlos Eduardo Caycedo Bocanegra, National Director of the Military Gaula, in order to prevent the extortion in sectors with the greatest losses.
On February 17, 2022, the intervention Plan was launched, in which Military and Police Gaula units participate, whose purpose is to reduce the crime of extortion, which increased in ten departments due to the increase of the from prison modality linked to organized armed groups and organized criminal groups.
Thus, to date, the Military Gaula units have intervened in 21 municipalities and 60 neighborhoods, covering three major macro-actions established in the Plan. The first action is to carry out door-to-door activities to listen to the community; the second is to carry out prevention activities with local authorities and other institutions in this matter and the third is to disseminate these activities through the media.
The targeted municipalities for the intervention have been Boyacá, Buenaventura, Putumayo, Caribe, Sucre, Norte de Santander, Chocó Department, Huila, Valle, and Meta in which it has been reported the reduction of the crime of extortion, taking into account that the Military Gaula in their direct and indirect prevention activities have explained to traders and people the modalities of extortion and have spoken about the national line 147; in the same way troops have informed the clarification of 70 per cent of the reported cases, and have also spoken about the importance of reporting and not paying extortions.
As for the releases and rescue operations, in this first quarter of 2022, the Military Gaula units have reported important information on their mission to recover the freedom of the kidnapped citizens, proof of this have been the 40 liberations and the release of 16 people who had been deprived of their freedom by different illegal armed groups outlaw.
It should be noted that the decisiveness of the military operations of the Military Gaula against organized crime has made it possible to dismantle several criminal groups, as well as the weakening of the illicit activities of criminal structures, since the victims of extortion have stopped paying for this crime about$ 946,065,000 COP.
The 32 Military Gaula units in the country continue their fight against the crimes of kidnapping and extortion reporting to date 358 operations with the following results:
Arrests for extortion: 290 (113 of common criminality individuals); 5 of Organized Armed Group, GAO, ELN, 84 of the GAO Clan del Golfo; 35 of members of the residual GAO and 53 of Organized Criminal Groups.
Arrests for kidnapping: 50 (33 of the common criminality); 5 of the residual GAO; 3 of the GAO Clan del Golfo and 9 of Organized Criminal Groups.
In addition to the tactical missions related to the crimes of kidnapping and extortion, the Military Gaula have participated in other operations in which 280 arrests have been made for crimes such as homicide, association to commit crimes, trafficking and carrying weapons, drug trafficking, sex crimes, among others.
In the same way, in the results of prevention, it is noteworthy that prevention is essential to the Military Gaula since it is the way in which they approach civilians to generate trust and create awareness in people about the importance of making denunciations against the crimes of kidnapping and extortion. It is in the same way the fundamental tool for the units to obtain intelligence for future operations in accordance with the mission. So this year they have carried out the following activities:
595 workshops of self-care, 156 accompaniment events to entrepreneurs and institutions of the State, 315 talks on regional radio stations, 19 131 radio stations messages, 161 142 brochures with the assistance line 147 and recommendations to gain security, 436 checkpoints, 2 615 informative patrols, 11 819 posters installed and distributed, 277 stand in shopping centres, markets, parks, schools, sporting events, and mayors and 368 activities of loudspeakers, have been conducted and implemented by the Military Gaula to strengthen their work in the country and contribute to the improvement and protection of Colombian families.
Thus, in the first quarter of 2022, the Military Gaula have promoted the Yo no pago yo denuncio campaign in the different regions of the country, informing and training 11,829 people to date.
Source: Press - Military Gaula
