These two men are accused of being part of a drug trafficking network operating in rural areas of Belén de Umbría.
In accordance with Plan Ayacucho Plus, troops from the 8th San Mateo Field Artillery Battalion and the Risaralda Department Police
carried out a series of search operations under court order in the municipality of Belén de Umbría.After several weeks of surveillance and information gathering by military intelligence, the Sijín, and the Sipol of the Police, the necessary information was gathered for a judge to issue several search warrants for properties located in the township of Columbia within this municipality.
During the operation, soldiers from the San Mateo Battalion, together with the Police’s Goes unit, arrested two individuals. One, known by the alias Cucho, is a native of Anserma, Caldas, and is believed to be in charge of facilitating drug trafficking in several rural areas, as well as collecting protection money from others engaged in the trade in the area. The second individual, alias Joel, is a native of Belén de Umbría and is believed to be a drug dealer operating under the orders of alias Cucho.
A shotgun, two cartridges for that weapon, 31 9-millimeter cartridges, three cell phones, several doses of hallucinogens, and cash, presumed to be proceeds from drug sales, were seized from the residences.
The two suspects will be prosecuted for the crimes of manufacturing, trafficking, carrying, or possessing firearms, accessories, parts, or ammunition, and trafficking, manufacturing, or carrying narcotics.
This operation directly impacts the illicit economies of the Edwin Román Velásquez Valle substructure of the Gulf Clan organized armed group, targeting the criminal component responsible for illegal incursions into the department of Risaralda.
The Eighth Brigade of the National Army continues to work diligently in the department’s 14 municipalities through the San Mateo Battalion, with the aim of weakening all capabilities of groups that threaten the security of t he territory.
Source:
Fifth Division Press.
