The joint work of the Attorney General’s Office and the National Police allowed the identification and arrest of eight alleged members of the so-called Los Diablos criminal organization, allegedly involved in the commission of thefts downtown Bogotá.
People involved are Ibáñez Calderín, alias Orejas; Arickson Romario Rodríguez Baracaldo, alias Cejas; Brandon Stiven Cantillo Salcedo, alias Barbas; John Edward Molina Garzón, alias Duende; Johan Rolando Vargas Toquica, alias Lunares; Gloria Yaneth Pardo Niño, alias Pelinegra, Jhon Anderson Cuadro Pérez, alias Cartagena; and Juan Carlos Cadena Tovar, alias Calvo.
According to the investigation that was led by a prosecutor from the Sectional Office in Bogotá, the defendants participated in more than 12 criminal acts in which they stole several people’s belongings in armed robberies and pickpocketing.
The facts took place in La Capuchina, Voto Nacional neighborhoods and areas such as Plaza España, La Mariposa and San Victorino.
Interviews, recordings and follow-ups showed how the criminal structure approached its victims to take their belongings. Each one of the alleged members of this illegal organization, apparently, fulfilled specific roles such as selecting victims, blockers, someone to ‘keep watch’ and robbers. In this way they were able to detect citizens and warn about the authorities’ movements to carry out the crimes.
Home searches were carried out in properties such as Los Mártires, Teusaquillo and Chapinero. There, 14 cell phones, 18 computers, 2 tablets and 1 bulletproof vest were seized. Arrests warrants were carried out.
The Prosecutor’s Office charged the defendants with aggravated robbery and conspiracy to commit a crime. They did not plead guilty to the charges. Five of them were sent to prison and three were sentenced to house arrest.
The information contained in this press release corresponds to the narration of the objective news provided by the officials in charge of carrying out 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.