These people extracted parts of jaguars, eagles, macaws and other species, and sold them on social networks under the facade of selling craft work
Given the evidence obtained by a prosecutor from the so-called Grupo Especial para la Lucha contra el Maltrato Animal- Gelma (Special Group for the Fight against Animal Abuse) Diego Fernando Mora Obando and Vivian Vanessa García Rivero, two of the alleged coordinators of the criminal network known as ‘Harpía’ pleaded guilty to wildlife trafficking and conspiracy to commit crimes in a preliminary agreement.
These people extracted parts or by-products from jaguars, harpy eagles, macaws and exotic animals; and later coordinated their marketing, through social networks and under the facade of the sale of craft work.
For these facts, and in light of the voluntary and spontaneous recognition of his responsibility, a judge sentenced Mora Obando to three years and four months in prison, and the payment of a fine equivalent to 200 current legal minimum wages. For his part, García Rivero was sentenced to two years and nine months in prison and a fine of 150 minimum wages.
During the investigation it was discovered that the man was in charge of requesting, from Orito (Putumayo), products of Colombian wildlife species such as fangs and feathers, for their later distribution.
From Villa de Leyva (Boyacá), the woman was in charge of publishing on social networks and making the payments through virtual channels
The Office of the Attorney General supplied documentary evidence about 10 cases in which the members of ‘Harpía’ coordinated the sale and shipment of animal parts to different national and international destinations.
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.