308 people arrested for small-scale drug dealing and other crimes committed in the region Montes de María 

The Office of the Attorney General in a joint work with the Navy, the National Police and Gaula-Army, gave a hard blow to 11 structures linked to micro-trafficking, theft, murders and extortion in 12 municipalities of Sucre and Bolívar.

The results of these investigative and operational activities were presented by the Attorney General, Francisco Barbosa Delgado, in Cartagena.

The investigative strategies defined to fight crime and understand its illicit dynamics in different territories allowed the Office of the Attorney General to impact crime and micro-trafficking networks in the region Montes de María.

The Delegate Office on Public Safety, through the Sectional Offices in Bolívar and Sucre, carried out investigative and operational actions in 12 municipalities obtaining important results.

This action, called Centurión, allowed the arrest of 308 people (89 by virtue of a court order and 219 in flagrante delicto). 166 of the detainees were allegedly involved in micro-trafficking activities, 23 in thefts, 17 in illegal possession of weapons, 10 in sexual crimes, 5 in extortion, 2 in murders and 85 in other criminal behaviors.

In total, 49 home searches were carried out and 16 firearms, a significant quantity of drugs, 435 cartridges of different calibers, 1 grenade and cash were seized.

The procedures made it possible to impact 11 criminal organizations, 7 associated with small-scale drug dealing, 3 with theft and 1 with extortion.

“We continue acting in the Department of Bolívar as we have done every two or three months in a way that allows citizens to feel confident with their Office of the Attorney General”, said the Attorney General, Francisco Barbosa Delgado, in Cartagena.

‘Los de Arriba’

Concerning the operation ‘Centurión’, the dismantling of the so-called ‘Los de Arriba’ structure stands out. This structure was allegedly involved in small-scale drug dealing in La Ceiba, Villa María and La Floresta neighborhoods, in Carmen de Bolívar. 14 people were arrested by virtue of 10 court orders, many of them were members of the same family.

Among the people arrested there are the ringleaders, alias Cristián and his brother “Féderman”; alias Yayo; and a woman known as ‘Chiri’, her two sons and a daughter-in-law.

“ Inhabitants of those areas were affected by this organization and, above all, it affected children and adolescents with micro-trafficking and also parents who suffer with these actions committed by criminal groups”, said the Attorney General.

Against ‘Los de Arriba’ there is enough technical evidence, follow-ups, and other investigative actions that prove that they were involved in controlling the small-scale drug dealing and in intimidating the population with their illicit activity.

This important result was possible thanks to the joint work of the Office of the Attorney General, CTI, the Navy, and the Gaula- Army.

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.