They capture alias Mauricio, leader of the Gulf Clan in Antioquia's Urabá

In the midst of the operations being carried out by the Colombian public forces to disintegrate the Self-Defense Groups of Colombia (AGC), also known as the Gulf Clan, Yoimer Alexander Vargas Henao, alias Mauricio, leader of the subversive group in Antioquia, fell on March 20. The criminal was captured by members of the Anti-Narcotics Police who had been following him on the trail because he is responsible for dozens of cases of extortion, homicide and drug trade.

The authorities indicated that this Sunday morning they activated the operation of the Jungla Command and arrived at the house of alias Mauricio, located in the Quebrada village, attached to San José del Urabá, a municipality located in the subregion of Urabá of Antioquia. It was detailed that the house in which he lived was “rustic” and difficult to access.

According to official accounts, the criminal was hiding in this remote area due to the siege of the authorities. In fact, it was reported that no alias Mauricio had been known since 2020, when he criminalized northeast of Antioquia on the orders of Jobani de Jesús Ávila, alias Chiquito Malo, who became the leader of the paramilitary group once he was captured alias Otoniel.

Thanks to intelligence work, it was possible to determine the perimeter where the criminal was hiding and they arrived there this morning.

Alias Mauricio was one of the most wanted in the department of Antioquia for the crime of a concert to commit an aggravated crime. The man was more than 10 years old in the service of the Gulf Clan and currently served as coordinator of the group. Among its functions, the responsibility of articulating drug trafficking and managing the finances of the structure in Antioquia's Urabá stands out.

Colombian authorities are watching the Gulf Clan movements, mainly in Antioquia. This area of the country is a key point for the illegal group because from here they control drug trafficking routes. Antioquia is ideal for criminals because by bordering Chocó and Córdoba, it becomes the perfect space to take out the Pacific and narcotics. These illegal activities also give rise to cases of extortion, displacement and forced recruitment, which perpetuates the violence experienced in the department.

It should be recalled that a report published by the National Police in November last year, indicates that the Gulf Clan operates 12% of all illicit crops in the departments of Antioquia, Nariño, Norte de Santander, Bolívar, Córdoba and Chocó. Apparently, the group has 30 so-called pure drug traffickers, each with the capacity to send between 400 kilos and 3 tons of drugs per month to different destinations. Only in the case of Colombia, since the organization would have tentacles in 28 other countries, have at least 15 collection and shipping points been identified on the Pacific and Atlantic coasts, for shipping cargo in containers and speedboats.

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