The military operations, in which war materials were in the same way seized, are weakening the criminal activity of the structures that commit crimes in the departments of Norte de Santander and Santander.
Within the framework of the Esparta Military and Police Campaign, the National Army, in a joint operation with the Air Force, coordinated with the National Police and Inter-institutional with the Attorney General's Office, hit the Organized Armed Group, GAO, Clan del Golfo, by arresting in flagrante delicto three individuals known as Los Urabá, accused of being members of this GAO.
The operation took place in the municipality of Limoncito, in the municipality of Cúcuta, where troops arrested those who would be part of the Substructure Luis Orlando Padierna Peña, known by the aliases of Urabá, Cristian and Óliver. Alias Urabá, presumably the leader of the squad, would perpetrate kidnapping, extortion and drug trafficking, intimidating the community of the capital city of the department.
During the military operation short and long-range weapons and mobile communication equipment were found by troops.
As part of this operation, troops conducted in the municipalities of Chitagá and Silos, in Norte de Santander, and Toná and Girón in Santander, and arrested six individuals allegedly members of the GAO residual, Substructure 45.
Through raids carried out with the authorities and the Military Gaula (Anti-Extortion and Anti-Kidnapping Group) of Norte de Santander, troops of the Fifth Brigade and the National Police made effective the arrest warrants of six members of this residual GAO, for the crimes of rebellion and association to commit crimes with extortive purposes and homicide.
Among those arrested in the municipality of Chitagá there are the individuals known by the aliases Lucio and Ómar, who would be the first and second ringleaders, respectively, of this group; in the same way, Horacio and Panelo, who would be part of the ranks of this GAO-r.
In addition, during the raid in the municipality of Hatico, in the municipality of Tona, Timo was arrested in flagrante delicto, who had in his possession a pistol, revolver, cartridges, a box of ammunition and mobile phones.
In the urban area of Girón, in Santander, Mr. Samuel Figueroa, the alleged fourth ringleader of GAO-r Substructure 45, was arrested. In turn, he would be in charge of managing the finances of this Substructure and, according to a court order he would be responsible for the crimes of association to commit aggravated crimes and rebellion.
The decisive development of military operations focused on neutralizing the criminal operations of these armed groups has left in the last two weeks the finding and destruction of 25 laboratories for the production of cocaine hydrochloride and coca base paste: 20, in Norte de Santander; 4, in the south of Bolívar and one, in south of Cesar, structures valued at approximately 10,000 million pesos that directly hit the illicit finances of these illegal groups.
With this operation, the Military Forces hit directly the criminal activities of these GAO, such as extortion, kidnapping, murder, firearms trafficking and distribution of printed propaganda, with messages alluding to these illegal groups in the municipalities of Chitagá and Silos, Norte de Santander.
Source: press-National Army
