The conclusive evidence presented by a prosecutor from Gaula, sectional office in Bolívar allowed a judge to deprive three alleged members of the criminal group ‘Los Cerezos’ of their liberty. They were allegedly at the service of the ‘Clan del Golfo’.
Investigations established that the defendants were apparently involved in extortion of commercial premises located in Los Cerezos, San José de los Campanos and El Pozón neighborhoods in Cartagena.
It is believed that the criminals went to establishments and identified themselves as members of the ‘Clan del Golfo’, to demand their owners from 5 to 20 million pesos per month, in exchange for not declaring them a military objective or suspending their economic activities.
Juan Fernando Fernández Taborda, alias ‘Juancho’, was arrested on a public road by the National Police in the La Piedra de Bolívar neighborhood.
Jesús Leonardo Domínguez Castro, alias Pechiche, and David Martínez Paternina, who are in prisons serving detention measures for other processes, were also notified.
During the preliminary hearings, the Prosecutor’s Office charged the defendants with conspiracy and extortion, both aggravated. They did not plead guilty.
The Office of the Attorney General makes this information public for reasons of general interest.
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.