Finance unit of the self-proclaimed “Iván Merchán” Front dismantled: eight arrested and one minor rescued in Mapiripán, Meta

During a military operation, thanks to military intelligence, troops from the Meta Military Gaula—an organic unit of the Seventh Brigade—and in coordination with the National Police, succeeded in capturing eight alleged members of the self-proclaimed Iván Merchán Front in the act and rescuing a minor in the rural area of El Danubio, in the municipality of Mapiripán, Meta.

According to the investigations, those arrested were allegedly committing crimes in the municipalities of Mapiripán, Puerto Lleras, and Puerto Rico, where this criminal organization exerted pressure on the civilian population through extortion and actions aimed at territorial control.

During the operation, authorities seized three 9-millimeter pistols, 35 .38-caliber cartridges, 43 9-millimeter cartridges, seven tactical vests, two tactical belts, eight cell phones, five checkbooks used for extortion demands linked to the self-proclaimed “Iván Merchán” Front, and five motorcycles of various makes.

It is worth noting that one of the recovered firearms had been stolen days earlier during the burning of vehicles belonging to the National Protection Unit (UNP), a criminal act attributed to this illegal group.

The detainees, the recovered minor, and the seized materials were handed over to the National Police’s SIJIN to proceed with the respective judicial proceedings and the restoration of rights.

With this operational success, the Fourth Division of the National Army continues to undermine the capabilities of criminal groups operating in southern Meta, weakening their illicit finances and contributing to the protection of the population, as well as the strengthening of security and stability in the region, in fulfillment of its constitutional mission.