Colombia Detains Over 200 Alleged Cartel Members Accused of Bounty on Police

Colombian law enforcement announced on Monday the apprehension of more than 200 suspects involved in the nation’s largest narcotics cartel, which holds responsibility for the recent killings of approximately 24 security personnel.

This criminal syndicate originated from right-leaning paramilitary groups, which once combated leftist insurgents in the 1990s, before their focus shifted to the lucrative cocaine industry.

President Gustavo Petro has charged the cartel with creating a strategy to routinely target and murder members of the national security forces, a decision that led him to halt peace talks earlier in 2023.

Francisco Cubides, the top military official, disclosed in a media briefing that security efforts had resulted in the capture of 217 cartel affiliates since mid-April.

He further reported that 15 presumed drug traffickers were eliminated in operations that seized 6.8 tons of narcotics, 123 weapons, and over 15,000 bullets.

Recent confrontations have led to the death of 16 police officers and five soldiers in assaults attributed to what Petro described as the Gulf Clan's 'pistol plan.'

Cubides remarked that these attacks symbolize a frantic countermeasure from armed factions facing substantial losses due to police and military actions in Colombia’s northern and western regions.

Interior Minister Armando Benedetti revealed in a cabinet briefing that the cartel offered its associates payments ranging from 10 to 15 million Colombian pesos (US $2,300 to $3,500) for killing police personnel.

The Gulf Clan, also involved in unlawful gold extraction, racketeering, and human smuggling, is estimated to consist of approximately 7,500 individuals. Dominantly, their funds derive from cocaine trafficking, which supports their paramilitary engagements.

Last month saw police and the DEA terminate 'Chirimoya,' a notable figure, along with eight others linked to the faction.

The Gulf Clan was recently named a foreign terrorist organization by the United States. In 2022, they enforced a significant shutdown affecting numerous towns across northern Colombia in retaliation for the apprehension of their leader.

These seizures coincide with Colombia experiencing its most severe wave of violence since the 2016 peace treaty with the FARC, the oldest rebel army whose activities once destabilized the region.

Benedetti conceded last month that Petro’s initiative of 'complete peace' through dialogues with various militant groups hadn’t achieved the intended outcomes.

Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez recently acknowledged to AFP that during Petro's tenure, groups like the Gulf Clan have, regrettably, seen increased strength.