Los Caparrapos, the criminal gang imposed in Colombia in alliance with the ELN and the dissent of the FARC

The region of Bajo Cauca in Antioquia, northwestern Colombia, is beset by homicides, extortion and mbadive population displacements due to multiple armed organizations in conflict over drug trafficking. But a criminal gang is seeking to enforce this year with a broad expansion and control of illegal mining: the caparrapos, a structure that betrayed the clan of the Gulf, to which he belonged, to fight it in alliance with ELN guerrillas and FARC dissent.

Because of their ruthless war, the Caparrapos have become one of the most visible criminal actors to fight for the Public Force in Colombia in 2019. This, for its strong violence. On the night of 23 December 2018, for example, they attacked with a grenade a nightclub in El Bagre, making 31 wounded. This was confirmed in a statement stating that "this city has been mine for more than five years and no one will take it from me, whoever must die and the war is just beginning".

They were also responsible for the murder of social leader Ana María Cortés, who coordinated the presidential campaign of Colombian candidate Humana Gustavo Petro in Cáceres. They are one of the main groups designated by the authorities for committing crimes against human rights defenders and community leaders. In fact, for these crimes, one of its leaders, Jesus Alfredo Meneses, aka the "Mudo", has recently been captured.

The 45-year-old is accused of taking part in the badbadination of social leader José Rafael Solano earlier this year in Zaragoza. That's why he was part of the poster of the badbadins of social leaders published by the same president of Colombia, Iván. Duc And the offensive against the criminal gang does not stop. On January 23, the army seized an illegal mining operation from which it extracted more than 20 kilograms of gold per month.

Two days later, the authorities captured six of their members and released several minors who had been forcibly recruited. This military action was the response to clashes Caparrapos with other criminal gangs such as Los Urabeños, which caused the mbadive displacement of entire populations of Bajo Cauca Antioqueño.

Despite this, the Caparrapos have experienced an exponential build-up in 2018 and its expansion is expected this year, claiming to be "a major player on the organized crime scene," according to a source from the Ombudsman's office. for crime insight, revealed in an badysis that this growth is due to strategic alliances with the National Liberation Army (ELN) and the dissent of the FARC.

Since 2008, the criminal gang has been formed from the dissent of other irregular groups. Then the demobilization of the United Self-Defense Groups of Colombia left some recidivists of the Mineros block, located in Bajo Cauca Antioqueño and commanded by Cuco Vanoy, from where came out 'Los Paisas'. says the magazine. Week. These began operating as a Gulf Clan infrastructure, commissioned by the pseudonym "Otoniel".

But with the capture and loss of the police force, the leaders who remained far from Otoniel began to know each other under the name of "Caparrapos" and broke off their relations with the Gulf clan. This is how it started a war for a previously shared territorial control, rich in drug treatment labs, in trafficking routes and in illicit activities such as extortion.

According to the portal Open truth, everything got worse when, in January 2017, five people were killed, including Héctor Osorio Gaitán, aka "Danilo Chiquito", paramilitary Cuco Vanoy's right-hand man and recognized figure in the del Golfo clan, presumed by this criminal gang a Treason The authorities then said that it was an adjustment of accounts between members of the group for the purposes of territorial control.

The war was accentuated during the demobilization of the FARC guerrillas, who had just left the scene of the conflict with the signing of the peace agreement in late 2016. The Caparrapos wanted to expand to dominate the unlawful rents, stated Open truth. And in the panorama appear two other actors who also make a presence in this region: the ELN and the dissidence of the former front 36 of the FARC-EP. Together, the prosecution confirmed, face the Gulf Clan.

In late 2018, authorities reported that members of Los Caparrapos were fighting alongside men of the ELN, which proves their criminal alliance. Later, they were included in the dissent of the 36th FARC front. "The group has been agile in its changing alliances, which are emerging at a time when violence is raging and provoking a stronger military response, giving the group added protection when it comes to needs, "describes Insight Crime.

The current moment of which they speak is their territorial expansion, during which they even cross the border of the department until reaching the southern neighbor of Córdoba, in the Colombian Caribbean. The Ombudsman had already warned: "Military sources stated that between October 2017 and January 2018, the structure of" Los Caparrapos "had experienced an inexplicable reinforcement in weapons, personnel and weapons. finances. "

To reach the county of Córdoba, they form alliances with the former front 18 of the FARC present in this region. But the ombudsman's office and the prosecutor's office also claim that since last year they have entered into covenants, in addition to the guerrilla dissent's 5 and 18 factions. Added to this is a fourth ally: the Mexican cartels, which would provide them with weapons to guarantee the production of cocaine. More specifically, the Jalisco New Generation cartel, according to Open truth.

With these alliances, the armed organizations are trying to get the Clan del Golfo out of the drug trade. That's why, says Insight Crime, the growth of Los Caparrapos is expected in 2019, "because of the combination of operational knowledge and brutality." And General Alberto Sepúlveda Riaño, who has just left the Seventh Army Division, says that this has also benefited the guerrillas. For example, the ELN has grown from dominance over 32 territories to nearly 200 in this region of the Antioquia Department.

And in this conflict, the communities most affected are the communities of Bajo Cauca Antioqueño, which have experienced a significant increase in homicides and extortions, which have caused at least four mbad displacements in 2018, according to the office of the mediator. This reminds us of the worst years of armed conflict, in which the region was a war fort between guerrillas and paramilitaries.