The Office of the Attorney General of the Nation presented before a guarantee control judge four presumed members of the Arcesio Niño structure of the Farc dissidents, who would be responsible for kidnappings, extortions, homicides and other violent actions against merchants, transporters, ranchers and contractors in the eastern part of the country.
Among the defendants are two of the noted leaders of this illegal group, identified as Charly de Jesús Ágamez Torres, alias Charly; and José Andrés Rodríguez Altamar, alias Peru or Esteyler.
According to the Prosecutor’s Office, these subjects were linked to another criminal faction in Arauca and, after a violent confrontation with the ELN between December 2021 and January 2022, they moved to Puerto Gaitán and Mapiripán (Meta). From these municipalities, apparently, they directed the collection of extortion through messages via WhatsApp, in which they cited the victims in the midst of death threats and attacks against family members, businesses or real estate.
According to the evidence, armed men in charge of alias Perú or Esteyler, allegedly kidnapped an engineer in Puerto Gaitán, on January 4. The victim remained in captivity for a month and for his release the Arcesio Niño structure managed to request up to 2,000 million pesos.
Also read: Substructure 39 of the Farc dissidents was dismantled in Mapiripán
Captures and prosecution
The four designated Farc dissidents were captured by the CTI of the Prosecutor’s Office and the National Army, in four buildings located in Puerto Gaitán and Mapiripán (Meta). In the search and search proceedings, a minor was also apprehended, who was placed at the disposal of a prosecutor from the Criminal Responsibility System for Adolescents.
In this sense, a prosecutor from the Specialized Directorate against Criminal Organizations charged alias Esteyler with the crimes of conspiracy to commit an aggravated crime; manufacture, trafficking and possession of firearms, ammunition for restricted use, for the exclusive use of the Armed Forces or explosives; and manufacturing, trafficking, carrying or possession of firearms, accessories, parts or ammunition.
In turn, Ágamez Torres and the other two detainees were charged with the illegal possession of firearms. By order of the guarantee control judge, the four defendants were sent to jail.
In addition to alias Esteyler and alias Charly, the other two people affected by the decision are Elías Gabriel Khalife González and Henry Alexander Parada Parada.
Source: Attorney General’s Office