Seventeen alleged members of the leftist guerrilla organization FARC were arrested Monday in the central Colombian department of Meta.
According to newspaper El Espectador, authorities believe the detainees belong to the FARC’s Ismael Ayala Squadron of their Eastern Bloc.
The squadron is allegedly responsible for burning vehicles along the main road of the Meta department, blocking road access, and bribing carriers.
Colombia’s Chief of Police Oscar Naranjo said that he believed the arrest would serve as a heavy blow to the FARC squadron.
“We are talking about more than a year of work by the military forces,” Naranjo said. “We have neutralized this cell.”