After a joint, coordinated and interagency military operation, the troops of the National Army, the Air Force, the Police and the Attorney’s General Office, it was possible to capture alias Patas, accused of carrying out terrorist operations against the troops and inhabitants of this region.
Thanks to military intelligence information, it was possible to capture alias Patas, who would have been the explosives expert and the second ringleader of the Organized Armed Group (GAO-r) Frente Ismael Ruiz, in the village of La Ocasión, in the municipality of Rioblanco, in the south of Tolima. This individual had with him an improvised explosive device, which was going to be used in terrorist attacks against the Military Forces and civilians. According to information provided by the authorities, this individual become a member of the support networks of residual crime groups (RAE-r) such as Comisión Sexta Tolima and Columna Móvil Dagoberto Ramos Ortiz, in the year 2018. Subsequently, in 2019, he would have been in charge of planting minefields in the municipalities of Rioblanco and Planadas, in the department of Tolima. In 2020, he took a course on explosives expert, together with members of the Columna Móvil Dagoberto Ramos Ortiz, in the department of Cauca.
This individual was considered the right hand of alias Carlos, who would be the main ringleader of the GAO-r Frente Ismael Ruiz, which help him to become the second ringleader and explosives expert of this crime group.
In the same way, alias Patas was in charge of recruitment and instruction to the personnel who joined the residual GAO Frente Ismael Ruiz. This group would be executing terrorist attacks in the south of Tolima.
The explosive material found was destroyed in controlled conditions by the Police Anti-explosive Group.
The captured was put into custody of the Specialized Attorney’s Office 164 DECOC of Ibagué, for the crime of association to commit aggravated crimes such as homicide, manufacturing, trafficking and carrying weapons of exclusive use of the Military Forces. After the hearing a prison sentence was issued.
This important capture directly hit the command and control of the residual crime group and neutralizes its criminal operations against infrastructure, civilians and the Military Forces, in the south of the department of Tolima.
Source: Press-National Army
