Police killed “Chirimoya,” one of the top commanders of paramilitary organization EGC in northern Colombia on Saturday.
Chirimoya, whose real name is Jose Miguel Demoya, was killed in a counternarcotics operation in La Apartada, a rural municipality in the Cordoba province.
Until his death, Chirimoya commanded the EGC’s Aristides Mesa Paez Front, which operates throughout Colombia’s Caribbean region, according to the authorities.
The EGC commander allegedly joined the paramilitaries more than two decades ago.
As a member of the EGC’s central command, Chirimoya took part in negotiations with the government about the possible demobilization of the paramilitary organization.
The EGC commander was wanted by US authorities on drug trafficking charges. In Colombia, authorities also accused him of extortion and homicide.
Chirimoya, who has allegedly been with the EGC since it formation in 2006, was arrested and surprisingly released in 2017, triggering investigations into corruption in the judicial branch.
The killing of one of the members of its central command is the biggest blow against the EGC since the arrest of the paramilitaries’ long-time leader, “Otoniel,” in late 2021.
In a post on social media platform X, the EGC denied allegations that it had ordered a lockdown of the Caribbean region in retaliation of Chirimoya’s death.