At the request of the Attorney General’s Office, a judge imposed a prison sentence against Bernabé Yarlinton Mena Rivas, an alleged member of the so-called Clan del Golfo, who would be involved in the crime of aggravated extortion.
The incidents under investigation took place in the rural area of Puerto Wilches (Santander), in April 2023, when the owner of a farm used for the production of palm oil and livestock, received phone calls, text messages and visits in which he was extorted.
The victim was asked to have a meeting in the area of San Rafael de Lebrija, in the municipality of Rionegro (Santander) where, it is believed, he was informed that he had to pay 19 million COP as a financial contribution to the criminal organization.
Mena Rivas was arrested by the Gaula of the National Police, and did not plead guilty to the charges brought by the Office of the Attorney General.
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.