During his visit to this region of the country, the Attorney General held a meeting with several sectional directors.
During his visit to Armenia, the Attorney General, Francisco Barbosa Delgado, made an important announcement related to the prosecution of 32 alleged members of ‘La Secreta’, which allowed the institution to clarify 9 homicides in Quindío.
At the request of a Prosecutor of the Sectional Office in Quindio, a judge imposed a prison sentence against 32 alleged members of the organized criminal group ‘La Secreta’ who were allegedly committing crimes in Armenia, Calarcá, Montenegro and Circasia.
According to the evidence collected by the Prosecutor’s Office since February 2020, ‘La Secreta’ is responsible for the commission of several selective homicides. Likewise, they are considered responsible for murders, presumably to maintain territorial control concerning the commercialization of narcotics such as marijuana, cocaine, and synthetic drugs in the south-western zone of Armenia; Montenegro and Circasia.
With the dismantling of La Secreta, which apparently operates under the leadership of Orley de Jesús Ibarra Arévalo, alias ‘Arañín’ who is currently in prison, 18 homicides were clarified; 9 of these are attempted homicide.
Among all people that were prosecuted, 18 people were arrested in home searches and public roads by SIJIN -National Police members; while another 14 that remain in prison for other crimes were also charged.
The members of La Secreta “are considered responsible for a multiplicity of crimes, selective homicides, aggravated forced displacement, terrorism, use of minors in the commission of crimes”, said the Attorney General
The defendants are also investigated for crimes such as forced displacement of residents in villages such as Arenales and La Secreta Baja in Armenia (Quindío) to allegedly seize their properties. In addition, they were charged with theft which was committed in farms.
The conclusive evidence allowed the judge to impose a prison sentence for all the defendants. The measure against a pregnant woman was replaced due to her advanced condition of pregnancy.
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.