Following a six month long investigation, Colombian police announced Thursday that they have arrested eighteen suspected members of the Medellin-based criminal group the “Office of Envigado,” reports El Colombiano.
According to Colonel Luis Eduardo Martinez, commander of the Metropolitan Police of Medellin, those arrested were involved in the extortion of local residents and controlling narco-trafficking routes in the Antioquean department.
“They are a group of socially-unadapted criminals who enjoyed living off their criminal proceeds, that supplied narco-traffickers, and dedicated themselves to spreading terror in order for them to live how they did,” Martinez said.
According to the Inspector General’s Office, the arrested individuals are charged with narco-trafficking, extortion, and murder.
Among the eighteen people arrested are a 17-year-old minor and a 77-year-old female.
The criminal gang, based in Itagui, a municipality bordering the city of Medellin to the south, is believed to be headed by a man known as “Sebastian,” who remains in hiding.
“We weren’t able to capture the leader. We are working with intelligence agents to locate him and put him away. We were able to capture eighteen of the 26 people [we were looking for]. We hope to capture those remaining in the next few days,” the police commander said.