The Office of Envigado, the paramilitary group authorities say was
founded by ‘Don Berna’ after the demobilization of the AUC does not
exist, says Alirio ‘El Cebollero’ de Jesus Rendon.
Authorities accuse ‘El Cebollero’, the onion man, of being one of the leaders of the ‘Office of Envigado’ and having inhereted the paramilitary empire of ‘Don Berna’ in Medellin. He went in hiding after he was released because the Prosecution failed to file charges in the ten months he was held in custody.
In an interview with newspaper El Tiempo, the alleged paramilitary denies any criminal activity and says he only knows ‘The Office’ from the media and through rumors on the street.
“I think it’s more like a myth and the authorities don’t want to unravel the myth. It seems that they don’t care what the city of Medellin is mixed up in,” de Jesus Rendon told the newspaper.
‘El Cebollero, currently hiding from authorities until he is given “guarantees” for a fair trial, blames the wave of violence that has hit Medellin over the past few months should be blamed on the government’s failing to help demobilized young men to a job and away from crime.