Six alleged members of the criminal group known as Langostas were arrested in joint operations conducted by the Office of the Attorney General and the National Police in Quindío. During the proceedings, firearms, a pickup truck, and other items were seized.
The Attorney General’s Office prosecuted six alleged members of the criminal group Langostas, which is allegedly involved in robberies committed in farms and rural properties in Quindío and Valle del Cauca.
A prosecutor appointed to the branch office in Quindío (Seccional Quindio) charged them with criminal conspiracy, homicide; manufacture, trafficking, possession of firearms, accessories, parts, or ammunition; simple kidnapping; and aggravated robbery. All charges were classified as aggravated offenses. The defendants did not plead guilty to the charges.
During six search warrants, the alleged ringleader Cristian Steven Aguirre Vélez, Giovanni Mejía Villa, Jhon Alexander Giraldo, Leydi Alejandra Bastidas Rengifo, Nathalia Rivera Londoño, and Katerine Viviana Sánchez Idarraga were arrested. Authorities also seized a pickup truck, three firearms, and mobile phones.
It was demonstrated that this criminal group carried out robberies in Montenegro and Circasia (Quindío) and Sevilla (Valle del Cauca). These individuals are allegedly linked to eight criminal acts and one of these acts involved the murder of a victim. In another case, they reportedly detained, tied up, and threatened victims for several hours.
The evidence indicates that they took valuable items and vehicles from the victims, whom they threatened with firearms.
A judge sent five of the detainees to prison. Leydi Alejandra Bastidas Rengifo will remain linked to the legal process.
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.