Five alleged members of this structure were arrested. Among them, the sentimental partner of the maximum leader of the José María Becerra front. Another person was arrested in flagrante delicto.

Two of the defendants allegedly participated in the attack against ESMAD on January 7 in Cali. For these facts, they will be charged in the coming days.

The investigative actions against the criminal networks that promote terrorist acts in the cities allowed the Office of the Attorney General in coordination with the National Police, to detect an ELN network that would be involved in attacks against the public force in Cali ( Valle del Cauca), and in various violent acts in areas in the southwest of the country.

Five alleged members of the ELN structure José María Becerra Front of the ELN were arrested in proceedings carried out in different parts of the city. Another person was arrested in a flagrante delicto. He was in possession of two fragmentation grenades that were conditioned to increase his destructive power.

Among the detainees are Élber Platicón Cuero, alias Quirikú; and Hernán Pertiara Málaga, alias Walter, who participated in planning and adapting M 26 grenade that was thrown at a National Police patrol in the Comuneros neighborhood in Cali, on May 28, 2020. In this fact, four patrolmen were injured.

Sofía Campaz Caicedo, alias Mabel or Mabe, sentimental partner of alias Marcos Pacífico, top leader of the ELN’s José María Becerra Front, was also arrested. This woman, apparently, transported, transformed and managed illicit money derived from extortion, kidnapping and drug trafficking.

According to the financial review, ‘Mabel’ received in a fractional way about COP 235,000,000, between 2016 and 2021, which there is no support about their origin. The evidence indicates that they were destined for the purchase of cell phones and to supply the urban networks of the ELN in Cali.

Other people that were arrested are:

  • Oliver Obando Sinisterra, alias Venado, ELN active member who was in charge of identifying positions and movements of the public force on January 10, and planning terrorist attacks in Cali.
  • César Augusto García Estupiñán, alias Chavo. He was responsible for extortion, drug trafficking, homicides and coordinating the transfer of weapons and supplies for the criminal structure.
  • Jhonmar Obando Alegría. He was arrested in flagrante delicto with two fragmentation grenades that he hid in a building in the Limonar neighborhood in Cali.

The Prosecutor’s Office obtained physical and technical evidence, such as photographs and interceptions which show the constant movements of the people between Cali and different municipalities on the Pacific coast in Nariño and Cauca, where the ELN´s José María Becerra Front camps are located.

In this sense, a prosecutor from the Special Directorate against Criminal Organizations charged ‘Quirikú’, ‘Walter’, ‘Venado’ and Chavo’, according to their level of participation, with terrorism; conspiracy to commit an aggravated crime for the purpose of homicide, terrorism, drug trafficking and extortion; and rebellion. ‘Mabel’ was charged with money laundering and rebellion. The person who was arrested in flagrante delicto was prosecuted for manufacturing, trafficking and possession of weapons, ammunition for the exclusive use of the Armed Forces or explosives.

Due to the conclusive evidence, a judge imposed a prison sentence against the six defendants.

Charges that were brought due to the attack against ESMAD

The evidence that was obtained in different lines of investigation against the ELN makes it possible to establish that two of the arrested people, ‘Quirikú’ and ‘Venado’, also participated in the attack against ESMAD in January 7 in Cali, in which 13 officers were injured. In this way, there is progress in the clarification of this terrorist action in 21 days. In the next few days, these two men will be brought before a judge and they will be charged with these offenses.

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

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.