The defendants were arrested in Montelíbano (Córdoba) and Medellín, Ríonegro and Zaragoza (Antioquia). They were allegedly committing crimes since 2024.
The evidence provided by a prosecutor of Gaula appointed to the branch Office in Córdoba (Seccional Córdoba) allowed a judge in Montería to prosecute five people, allegedly involved in extortion of merchants in Montelíbano, Puerto Libertador and San José de Uré (Córdoba).
The people involved are: Martha Cecilia Gómez Lara, César Alfonso Herrera Díaz, Merly Juliana Araújo Rojas, Manuel Alfonso Polo Pacheco and Neider Yesith Pérez Ramos who, according to their individual responsibilities, were charged with aggravated extortion and conspiracy to commit crimes for extortion purposes.
The facts took place since 2024, when the defendants claimed to be part of Clan del Golfo and extorted merchants from Montelíbano, Puerto Libertador, San José de Uré and their surrounding rural areas, in Córdoba.
Pérez Ramos and Polo Pacheco were arrested on February 24 in Montelíbano (Córdoba) while Gómez Lara, Herrera Díaz and Araujo Rojas were arrested on February 25 in Medellín, Ríonegro and Zaragoza (Antioquia) by Gaula of the National Police. None pleaded guilty to the charges. A judge imposed a prison sentence on four of the defendants. Araújo Rojas must serve house arrest since she is pregnant.
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.