Three works carried out in El Bagre (Antioquia) had to be stopped due to threats from the Gulf Clan

Two courts and a bike route that should benefit the inhabitants of El Bagre (Antioquia) have not been completed because, according to the contractors of the works, subversives are threatening them. They say that criminals are demanding large sums of money from them in exchange for finishing the job.

The authorities are already aware of the situation and say that they are investigating the facts. Preliminary investigations indicate that behind the threats are the Gaitanista Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AGC), also known as the Gulf Clan.

As the investigation progresses, the Antioquia Police assures that it will accompany the contractors while the three projects are completed.

It is worth mentioning that this MO is not new to the area. Over the past two years, the Gulf Clan has threatened contractors working on state-funded projects in order to stop them. Under this modality, the construction of the Nuestra Señora del Carmen hospital and two health centers in the districts of Puerto López and Puerto Claver have recently been affected.

In addition to extorting contractors, criminals intimidate local merchants and peasants. Just because of this fact, on Sunday (March 20) the authorities captured Yoimer Alexander Vargas Henao, alias Mauricio, leader of the Gulf Clan in Antioquia. 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.

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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