As a result of the sustained offensive being carried out by the Army’s Seventh Division, as part of the joint and coordinated Operation Themis, a strategy of the Ministry of National Defense, and Plan Ayacucho Plus, a key leader of the Gulf Clan was captured in recent hours in the department of Chocó.
The military operation, which took place in a rural area of the municipality of Belén de Bajirá, enabled troops from the Urabá Military Gaula, part of the 17th Brigade, in coordination with the National Police, to capture alias Chalia, the alleged leader of the armed and criminal wings of the Carlos Vásquez Sub-structure, of this illegal organization, in the municipalities of Riosucio and Belén de Bajirá, in Chocó, and in the municipality of Mutatá, in the department of Antioquia.
With approximately eleven years of criminal activity, this individual established himself as a key figure within the criminal structure, rising from an armed member to become the leader of an armed commission.
His criminal activities spanned strategic areas of Chocó and Antioquia, where he exercised criminal control through targeted killings, extortion, intimidation of the civilian population, recruitment of minors, drug trafficking, and armed actions against the security forces.
According to intelligence information, alias Chalia coordinated corridors used for drug trafficking and the strengthening of the Gulf Clan’s illicit economies. Likewise, he was identified as one of those responsible for directing the production and sale of coca paste and cocaine hydrochloride, an activity that constituted one of the criminal organization’s main sources of funding.
This individual, who appeared on the most-wanted list and for whom a reward of up to 500 million pesos was offered, had two active arrest warrants for the crimes of aggravated homicide, conspiracy to commit a crime, and the manufacture, trafficking, carrying, or possession of firearms. He is also accused of carrying out violent acts against human rights defenders, peace signatories, and their families.
During the same military operation, a 9mm pistol, a .38 caliber revolver, and ammunition for both were also seized.
The Seventh Division of the National Army will continue to conduct military operations in the northwestern part of the country, with the aim of protecting the civilian population, preserving the stability of the territory, and countering any threat that undermines the security and peace of the communities.
