The Attorney General’s Office prosecuted three alleged members of the ELN’ s Manuel Vásquez front that was extorting merchants in Cauca; in addition to distributing propaganda related to the illegal armed group.
People allegedly involved are Yeferson Guillermo Burgos Zuleta, José Gregorio Noscué Gutiérrez and Miguel Ángel Valencia Cruz, who were extorting merchants from Santander de Quilichao since 2022, and in surrounding rural areas. In these places they also delivered pamphlets and made threatening phone calls and visited stores.
The Prosecutor’s Office showed that the illegal network demanded monthly payments from merchants that ranged between 100.000 and 2 million COP. Those who refused to pay were threatened with attacks on their businesses and faced death threats against their family members and employees.
The defendants were arrested by Police-Gaula and soldiers of the National Army during operations carried out in Santander de Quilichao.
The Prosecutor’s Office charged them with extortion and attempted extortion, both aggravated.
A judge imposed a prison sentence against the defendants.
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.