The structure that was dismantled this week is accused of trafficking drugs in the north area of Tolima.
The Attorney General’s Office filed an appeal against the decision made by a supervisory judge who refrained from imposing a prison sentence against 19 alleged members of a criminal gang that were prosecuted for the crimes of aggravated criminal conspiracy, and drug traffic, manufacture and possession of drugs.
During the hearings* held between July 23 and 24, a prosecutor from the Anti-drugs Unit of the Branch Office in Tolima drew the reasonable inference of authorship and participation in such conduct of those arrested, for their alleged membership in the structure, Los Tijeras involved in drug trafficking activities in the north area of Tolima.
Under the coordination of the accusing body, the Sijín authorities of the Department carried out an operation that achieved to impact this gang by arresting the defendants by virtue of a judicial order in 19 home searches carried out in different areas of the municipality of Mariquita and in Bogotá last July 22nd.
According to preliminary investigations, the defendants started a territorial dispute in that area, thereby increasing the commission of criminal acts in recent months.
The defendants were identified as:
- Edilberto Salamanca, alias el Tinti
- Juan Camilo Amézquita Romero, alias Campana
- Julián Andrés Mantilla González, alias Mantilla
- Jaime Roberto Soto Vargas, alias Jaime
- Luis Eduardo Montoya Montenegro, alias Montoya
- Yeraldin Galván Garzón, alias Yeraldin
- Juan Camilo Valencia Guzmán
- Jaime Andrés Valbuena Marulanda
- Juan Camilo Cortés González, alias Pepa
- Jihovany Andrés Méndez Avendaño
- Maricela Arenas, alias la Boquinche
- Marco Tulio Jiménez
- Brayan Ovidio Mora Fandiño
- Jonathan David Molina Carvajal
- James Leandro Moreira García, alias Perro
- Daniel Camilo Acevedo Chavarro, alias el Rolo
- Edwin Clavijo Cotrino
- Luis Yeferson Ramírez Sánchez, alias Ratón
- José Gabriel Montoya Montoya
1. Several kinds of hearings held in one hearing (audiencias concentradas in Spanish)