Colombia's Defense Minister on Thursday claimed fourteen ringleaders of neo-paramilitary drug gang Los Rastrojos were arrested, leaving 800 men involved in the organization without leader.
The arrest were made in the southwestern departments of Nariño, Cauca and Valle del Cauca, Minister Gabriel Silva told press.
"This has become the most important blow to the structure of this organization, now that around 800 members of this criminal gang are left without command," Silva said.
According to National Police director Oscar Naranjo, the arrest were made in more than a dozen operations in the south west of the country.
Naranjo said that the men below those captured are responsible for more than 300 crimes involving murder, kidnapping, extortion, recruitment of minors and forced displacement, all means to expand the criminal organization's power.
Los Rastrojos, mainly operating in the Pacific region of Colombia, is one of the most powerful neo-paramilitary drug organizations of the country.
Kalcu
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... I am curious how the US using bases is going to effect these elements that exist since cocaine prices have gone down. I realized, that it's group like these that rely on cheaper cocaine and more of it so when it is seized it's not that big of a deal. I wasn't alive when cocaine was $50,000 a kilo, that sounds like it would be much better for society. This group isn't without a commander, a lot of these situations show how basic instincts form. It's not that any one person or group of people decided for natural social laws to form. There will always be alpha's, when one goes down ten come up and sort that out for themselves. If someone actually corned the market, then price would go up and things would be peaceful. There is simply to much coca grown for cocaine extraction, it doesn't seem to create more peace in the region! |
lampltr
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... Understand what you are saying but what does Cocoa have to do with murder, kidnapping, extortion, recruitment of minors and forced displacement? May be a chance slightly inter-related but I believe not...trust me, this is reliable knowledge, good post though. |
Kalcu
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... It just seems that is how war lords work, I don't think it has anything to do with cocoa but certainly coca! Maybe if the DEA went after and killed those that are actually watering down the supply so it's problems cost more than it's worth. If street prices for cocaine were higher, then it wouldn't be such a public issue plaguing the poor people that annoy Government. |
