A former paramilitary leader on Wednesday accepted charges from a Colombian Justice and Peace department for the slaughter of 26 people in the north of the country.
Vanoy Ramiro Murillo, alias “Cuco Vanoy,” who is currently being detained in a Miami prison on different charges, was the commander of the Metro Bloc of the AUC (United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia) when these murders were committed in the department of Antioquia 15 years ago, reported Caracol Radio.
During a hearing which took place via video-conference, “Cuco Vanoy” accepted charges from Medellin‘s Justice and Peace department of aggravated murders for terrorist purposes, torture, aggravated theft, simple kidnapping and the forced displacement of more than three thousand people.
The nearly 30 people that were slaughtered between 1997 and 2001 were identified as collaborators with Colombia‘s largest rebel group FARC.
Cuco Vanoy, along with nearly 3,000 other fighters, demobilized on January 20, 2006.
The brother, wife, and son of the AUC commander were all murdered in 2008.
Soon after, in October 2008, Vanoy was sentenced to 24 years and four months in prison by a federal judge in the southern district of Florida, who found him guilty of conspiracy, drug trafficking and money laundering for trying to smuggle cocaine into the United States from Colombia in the late 90s and early 2000s.
According to Caracol, Cuco Vanoy will now face a total of 192 charges this coming October 22.