Another hard blow dealt to the ‘Clan del Golfo’ ended with the arrest and prosecution of 27 alleged members of their criminal networks, and a multimillionaire impact on their illicit finances

Assets for about $87 billion belonging to Jorge Eliécer Castaño Toro, Nelson Dario Hurtado Simanca and Jafet Berrio Rivas were seized.

The Attorney General, Francisco Barbosa Delgado announced in Leticia, Amazonas, a new and conclusive hard blow dealt to the Clan del Golfo, another result that can be added to the recent arrest of the top leader of that criminal organization, Dairo Antonio Úsuga, alias Otoniel.

On this occasion and in development of the ‘Argenta’ strategy aimed at impacting the illicit assets of organized crime organizations, the specialized directorates against Money Laundering and Assets Forfeiture of the Attorney General’s Office, supported by the National Police and the Seventeenth Brigade of the Seventh Division of the National Army dealt a blow to the ‘Clan del Golfo’.

The actions that were conducted in different departments allowed the arrest and prosecution of 27 alleged members of criminal networks at the service of this criminal group who used different ways to launder millionaire amounts of money. The money would allegedly belonged to Luis Orlando Padierna Peña, alias Inglaterra; Jorge Eliécer Castaño Toro, alias Plástico; Nelson Darío Hurtado Simanca, alias Marihuano; and Jafet Berrio Rivas, alias El Iguano.

Sixteen 16 alleged collaborators of Jorge Eliécer Castaño Toro, alias Plástico, were arrested in August 2020 for extradition purposes. ‘Plástico’ allegedly had a family clan that helped him with the sale of assets, front company, front men, bank transactions and small cash transfers to give the appearance of legality.

They were Óscar Miguel Rodríguez López, Zuleima Jhoana Velásquez Pareja, Mónica Soto Marín, Luisa Fernanda Muñoz Moreno, Estid Osti Castaño Toro, Óscar Octavio Castaño Toro, Hernán Darío Herrera Jaramillo, Carlos Alberto Herrera Jaramillo, Claudia Cristina Tabares Giraldo, Dora Isabel Jaramillo Arboleda, Hernán de Jesús Velásquez, Jhaider Lastra Rodríguez, Carlos Andrés Molina Ramírez, Huber Andrés Herrera Jaramillo, Francisco Javier Ahumada Maury, retired colonel of the National Police who was arrested in Barranquilla; and Vladimir Eduardo Santamaría Ramírez of the Metropolitan Police in Cúcuta.

The Attorney General´s Office charged them with money laundering, illicit enrichment of private individuals, and conspiracy to commit a crime. Two of the defendants pleaded guilty to the charges; the remaining 14 did not plead guilty and were sent to prison.

On the other hand, interceptions, interviews, economic and financial analyzes showed that between 2015 and 2018 four family members of Nelson Darío Hurtado Simanca, alias Marihuano, who was killed on February 7 in Riosucio (Chocó), allegedly laundered more than $ 1,7 billion through the sale of real estate, vehicles, livestock and the commercial establishments and companies.

They are Libia Duarte Amado and Paola Andrea Ruiz Chavarría, former wives of ‘Marihuano’; his daughter, Luisa Fernanda Hurtado Duarte; and Norberto Antonio Ramírez Colorado, alias Pirri, Central structure of the ‘Clan del Golfo’´s trusted man. They were charged with money laundering and illicit enrichment of private individuals. The defendants were sent to a prison.

Likewise, the evidence collected allowed us to establish that between 2010 and 2020 several people, apparently, in the service of Luis Orlando Padierna Peña, alias England, who was killed on November 23, 2017, in Chinácota (Norte de Santander), were front men to give the appearance of legality to more than $ 4.9 billion.

An analysis about the assets revealed how, through the sale of movable and immovable property, and commercial establishments; the people arrested allegedly laundered millionaire sums of money of illicit origin.

The defendants were Héctor Fabio Murillo Rojas, Diana Téllez Rodríguez, Leison Andrés Rojas Murillo, Sandra Patricia Uribe Rueda, María Besey Duarte Arango, Luz Dary Padierna Peña and Cley Cerpa Ospina, who were arrested in Carepa and Medellín (Antioquia) as well as Ibague, Tolima). They were charged with money laundering and illicit enrichment. Two of the people involved received restrictive measures and the rest are still linked to the process.

 Assets Forfeiture

Within the framework of this operation, the Specialized Directorate on Assets Forfeiture imposed precautionary measures such as suspension of power to alienate property and a seizure process on properties, apparently, acquired with illegal resources by ‘Marihuano’, ‘El Iguano’ and ‘Plástico’.

These are real estate, vehicles, companies, commercial establishments, savings account balances and livestock located in Medellín, Turbo, Sabaneta, Envigado, Itagüí, El Retiro, Andes, Maceo, Puerto Nare, Carepa, Chigorodó, Necocli (Antioquia) and Chocó. The total value of the properties of the three alleged leaders of the Clan del Golfo is about $ 87 billion. The assets that were seized will be placed under the authority of  Sociedad de Activos Especiales (SAE).

When we speak, results follow.

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.