Colombia’s police captured 25 members of gang ‘La Camila,’ an armed group that is accused of murders, narco-trafficking, extortion and forced displacement in the north-east of Medellin.
According to the report, one of the gang members that was captured, Angel de Jesus Pacheco Sierra, alias “Virel” is the son of a top leader of drug gang the Rostrojos/Paisas, Angel de Jesus Pacheco Chanci, alias “Sebastian.” Although the younger Pacheco did not have a leadership role in the Camila, he was reportedly an important member. Medellin’s ombudsman publicly stated that the blow to the group “represents an advance by the Colombian state against emerging, illegally armed groups.”
The police said that the capture was due to good intelligence work, and the newspaper El Colombiano reported that the authorities carried out 18 months of surveillance. Police confiscated several handguns, ammunition, eight kilograms of marijuana, and 50 grams of cocaine.
The police said that the Camila is under the command of armed wing of Erick Vargas Cardenas, leader of a faction of Medellin’s most powerful criminal group the Oficina de Envigado, who is also known as “Sebastian.”
These captures came within days of the arrest of alias “Chaparro,” a leading figure in the Oficina de Envigado. Many believe that as authorities shake up the group’s power structure, smaller groups like the Camila will likely try to emerge as more influential in the criminal world.