Awa massacre suspects arrested

Colombian police Tuesday arrested two more suspects of the murder of twelve members of the indigenous Awa tribe in August. One man already was in custody for the massacre.

A press release by the Ministry of Defense of Colombia reports that three men were arrested on charges of killing the twelve indeginous community members in the department of Nariño on Augsut 26, 2009.

The three men are allegedly members of the gang ‘Los Cucarachos’, who according to the press release are engaged in extortion, kidnapping, and drug trafficking in southern Colombia.

The arrest took place in a rural area near the town of Tumaco after the authorities received information from civilians on the whereabouts of the alleged criminals.

The Colombian government will pay US$68 thousand to those who provided information that led to the arrest.

The arrested have other pending criminal investigations on extortion, kidnapping, drug trafficking, and terrorism.

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