13 people were arrested in different proceedings carried out in Valle del Cauca and Cauca. Among those people arrested, there are seven alleged members of the so-called ‘Segunda Marquetalia’ who would be responsible for blockades and attacks against the public force.

The Attorney General’s Office continues revealing organized crime structures that sabotage social protest and sponsor acts of violence. In four different procedures, 13 people who allegedly participated in different illegal activities that took place in the last month in the southwestern part of the country, were arrested.

  • A hard blow against the so-called network ‘Segunda Marquetalia’

In proceedings carried out in Cali and Buenaventura (Valle del Cauca) were arrested seven alleged members of the so-called ‘Segunda Marquetalia’, an illegal group of alias ‘Iván Márquez, who would be the main promoters of attacks against commerce, banks and government premises, against the public force and obstruction of roads in Cali and its metropolitan area.

In the proceedings carried out by the Office of the Attorney General and the National Police, some maps of the city of Cali, three firearms, a traumatic pistol, pentolite-type explosive, 9-mm caliber cartridges, 19 cell phones, six computers, storage disks, pamphlets about Segunda Marquetalia and $ 19’865,000 in cash were seized.

According to the evidence, an urban network was created in Cali by order of ‘Iván Márquez’ and ‘El Paisa’ which would be under the leadership of a person known as ‘Richard’, a former member of the mobile column Jacobo Arenas of the extinct Farc.

This person was arrested in an operation. The evidence shows that he was the ringleader and coordinated the delivery of money, explosives, weapons and logistics material to obstruct roads and attack the public force. Apparently, he directed the violent acts from a building located in the Cristo Rey sector. He allegedly defined and marked 13 points of the city of Cali on a map and, through communication radios, he gave instructions to his liaisons on the street.

The investigations showed that ‘Richard’ traveled to Venezuela before the protests that began on April 28, to, presumably, receive orders from the top leaders of the ‘Segunda Marquetalia’ and specify the way in which the acts of vandalism would be financed.

Another person that was arrested is ‘Alejandro’ or ‘David’. He held the second position in the urban network and he was in charge of distributing weapons, ammunition and medicines in places where roads were obstructed or where confrontations with the National Police took place.

During the verifications, it was learned that this person traveled to Venezuela to hold a meeting with the so-called national leadership of the ‘Segunda Marquetalia’ who allegedly entrusted to him the planning a high-impact terrorist action against public force facilities in Cali.

Alias ​​Negro or Santiago is also among those people arrested. There is evidence that indicates that he was involved in homicides and armed actions. He is allegedly considered responsible for participating in the murder of a 17-year-old teenager in February 2019.

The arrests of the seven alleged members of the urban network, including a woman, were legalized before a judge. A prosecutor from the Special Directorate against Criminal Organizations will charge the defendants with conspiracy to commit a crime, homicide, terrorism; manufacture, trafficking, and possession of firearms or ammunition; manufacture, trafficking, and possession of firearms and ammunition for the exclusive use of the Armed Forces.

  • A hard blow against the dissident structure ‘Carlos Patiño’ in Cauca

In El Tambo (Cauca), CTI officers and members of the National Army arrested two men and detained a minor, accused of belonging to the dissident group ‘Carlos Patiño’. These people were found in possession of explosives, weapons, communication equipment and pamphlets about the criminal structure.

According to the investigations carried out by the Special Investigation Unit (UEI for its initials in Spanish), with the support of the Delegate Office on Public Safety, this group intended to carry out terrorist actions against the public force and the civilian population, taking advantage of the situation of the national protest.

The Office of the Attorney General will charge the detainees with manufacturing, trafficking or possession of firearms, accessories, parts or ammunition for the exclusive use of the Armed Forces.

  • Alleged members of the ‘Dagoberto Ramos’ were arrested

The Office of the Attorney General detected a criminal cell of the residual group denominated ‘Dagoberto Ramos’ that, supposedly, recruited young people from marginal areas of Cali to take them to the rural area of ​​Miranda, Corinto, Caloto, Toribío, Caloto and Santander de Quilichao (Cauca) where they allegedly were trained in the use of explosives and firearms.

Likewise, it was established that the network would be linked to extortions to merchants and companies in Cali. In proceedings carried out by the Office of the Attorney General and the Police, were arrested Jairo Antonio Zuleta Aragón, alias ‘el Odontologo’; and Jhon Jairo Díaz Marín, alias ‘el Zarco’, for his alleged responsibility in the crime of aggravated conspiracy for extortion and terrorism.

Likewise, Alex Franco García, alias ‘Ladrillo’ was arrested in flagrante delicto for the offense of escape of prisoners who should be serving a sentence that was imposed in January for drug trafficking offenses. At the end of the hearing*, a judge imposed a prison sentence against the three defendants.

This structure is accused of participating in criminal acts perpetrated in Cali during the protests and that was allegedly coordinated by alias Jacobo.

  • ‘Solterosky’ was arrested

In Santander de Quilichao (Cauca), the Technical Investigative Corps (CTI for its initials in Spanish), with the support of the National Army, arrested alias Solterosky, the alleged leader of the second commission of the dissident structure ‘Dagoberto Ramos’.

This person allegedly participated in outrages committed in Cali and coordinated the movement of people and the use of explosives from Toribío and Caloto to carry out the acts of vandalism. Additionally, alias Solterosky is considered responsible for murders, use of explosives and bombs to attack the civilian population and the public force.

A prosecutor of the Special Directorate against Criminal Organizations will bring him before a judge.

The Office of the Attorney General makes this information public for reasons of general interest.

The information contained in this press release corresponds to the narration of the objective news provided by the officials in charge of carrying out the criminal investigations within the Office of the Attorney General. By the time this communication is disclosed, the legal status of the people mentioned is still pending to be resolved by the competent judicial authority, always under the presumption of innocence contemplated by Article 29 of the Political Constitution and Article 7 of Law 906 of 2004.

*Several  kinds  of  hearings  held  in  one  hearing  (known as audiencias concentradas in Spanish)