His capture represents a strategic blow to the criminal capabilities of the Gulf Clan organized armed group (GAO), in the Magdalena Medio region, a key corridor for illicit economies and the movement of illegal armed groups.
As part of the Ayacucho Plus Operations Plan, troops from the 2nd Air Defense Artillery Battalion, in coordination with the Military Intelligence Battalion, the National Police, DIJIN, and the Attorney General’s Office, successfully arrested—pursuant to a court order—alias Culebro, the alleged regional leader of the Edgar Madrid Benjumea substructure of the organized armed group known as the Gulf Clan.
The military operation took place in the commercial district of the Special District of Barrancabermeja, Santander, with the support of specialized capabilities that enabled the identification of the suspect, who has an active arrest warrant for the crimes of murder of a public servant, arms trafficking, terrorism, and aggravated conspiracy to commit a crime.
According to his criminal record, alias Culebro, a 26-year-old who has been with the illegal organization for 10 years, is alleged to have participated in the planning and execution of the terrorist attack carried out against the police station in the municipality of Simití, Bolívar, on April 25, 2025, a criminal act in which two police officers were killed and three others were wounded. Similarly, it was established that the suspect had a presence in the Magdalena Medio region, primarily in municipalities in southern Bolívar.
His capture represents a strategic blow to the armed and command capabilities of the Edgar Madrid Benjumea substructure, causing destabilization within its hierarchical and operational structure, as well as a loss of influence among the civilian population and disrupting its financing through the collection of illicit funds, thereby directly impacting the substructure’s plans for social and economic sustainability and its criminal intentions to maintain and expand criminal control.
The National Army continues to carry out joint, coordinated, and interagency operations to dismantle criminal structures that seek to disrupt the peace of Colombians, reaffirming its commitment to defending life, security, and the protection of the nation’s strategic assets.
