Police have captured one of Colombia’s most wanted killers in the country’s second largest city Medellin.
Medellin authorities have detained alias, “Araña” or “Spider,” who was reportedly one of the country’s top 20 most wanted murderers. The arrest took place in the northwestern barrio of Aures (see map below) where Araña was allegedly awaiting payment from his extortion operations.
“His capture has been part of the work done at transport terminals to prevent extortion,” said General Yesid Vasquez, commander of the Metropolitan Police unit at the Aburra Valley.
According to Vasquez, Araña was the leader of criminal band “Aures,” who the police claimed to be a group mainly involved in targeted assassinations and extortion.
The 36-year-old killer was previously a member of the Heroes of Granada block of the AUC before he demobilized in 2005. Araña joined the scores of fellow militiamen who took part in the paramilitary demobilizations between 2003 and 2006, only to later enlist with successor criminal groups.
So far 508 murderers have been caught in the Medellin’s metropolitan area in 2012, according to figures from the National Police.