HomeNewsBriefArrest of Regional Leader a Further Blow to Colombia's Rastrojos
BRIEF

Arrest of Regional Leader a Further Blow to Colombia's Rastrojos

COLOMBIA / 28 FEB 2013 BY MARGUERITE CAWLEY EN

Police have arrested the alleged leader of criminal group the Rastrojos in Colombia's coffee region, in another blow to the already weakened criminal organization.

Police arrested Alejandro Beltran Esquivel, alias "Alex" or "La Gorda," as well as eight other alleged members of the Rastrojos in operations carried out in Medellin and various other cities in central Colombia on February 27, reported EFE. According to Colombian National Police Director Jose Roberto Leon Riaño, Esquivel was a trusted confidant of "Los Comba," the two brothers who ran the Rastrojos until their respective capture and surrender last year, and Colombian drug kingpin and Rastrojos ally "El Loco Barrera", also captured in 2012.

Esquivel was allegedly responsible for the monthly collection of two to three tons of cocaine base that was then distributed to various countries in Central America and the Caribbean, said Leon Riaño. Prior to working for the Rastrojos, Beltran once formed part of Colombia’s United Self-Defense Forces (AUC) and later the Popular Revolutionary Anti-Terrorist Army of Colombia(ERPAC), according to El Tiempo. He is believed to have taken part in one of Colombia's most notorious massacres, in Mapiripan, Meta department in 1997, in which up to 49 people were brutally murdered by paramilitaries.

InSight Crime Analysis

While the Rastrojos were once arguably the most powerful criminal organization in Colombia, signs have pointed to the group's demise following the arrest of its top leadership during 2012. Jose Leonardo Hortua Blandon, alias "Mascota," the last remaining Rastrojos leader thought to be a possible candidate for top commander, was arrested in November 2012. According to police sources, the group has lost some 20 percent of its membership over the last two years.

The Rastrojos came under additional pressure after the US Treasury Department placed sanctions on the gang, freezing any assets under US control and banning US citizens from conducting business with Rastrojos members.

The Rastrojos have suffered internal turmoil in their traditional strongholds such as Valle del Cauca since the arrests of its leadership, providing opportunities for rival criminal organization the Urabeños to move in. This latest wave of arrests could further hasten the total dismantlement of the organization.

share icon icon icon

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

What are your thoughts? Click here to send InSight Crime your comments.

We encourage readers to copy and distribute our work for non-commercial purposes, with attribution to InSight Crime in the byline and links to the original at both the top and bottom of the article. Check the Creative Commons website for more details of how to share our work, and please send us an email if you use an article.

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

Related Content

COLOMBIA / 7 MAY 2021

A central Texas lawyer known as the “DWI Dude” will spend more than 15 years in federal prison after deceiving…

COLOMBIA / 14 JUN 2021

A former FARC leader and veteran drug trafficker has sided with ex-commander Iván Márquez, a move that could prove crucial…

COLOMBIA / 12 MAY 2022

An armed blockade by the Urabeños drug clan that left much of northern Colombia reeling has signaled that the group…

About InSight Crime

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela Coverage Continues to be Highlighted

3 MAR 2023

This week, InSight Crime co-director Jeremy McDermott was the featured guest on the Americas Quarterly podcast, where he provided an expert overview of the changing dynamics…

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela's Organized Crime Top 10 Attracts Attention

24 FEB 2023

Last week, InSight Crime published its ranking of Venezuela’s ten organized crime groups to accompany the launch of the Venezuela Organized Crime Observatory. Read…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime on El País Podcast

10 FEB 2023

This week, InSight Crime co-founder, Jeremy McDermott, was among experts featured in an El País podcast on the progress of Colombia’s nascent peace process.

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime Interviewed by Associated Press

3 FEB 2023

This week, InSight Crime’s Co-director Jeremy McDermott was interviewed by the Associated Press on developments in Haiti as the country continues its prolonged collapse. McDermott’s words were republished around the world,…

THE ORGANIZATION

Escaping Barrio 18

27 JAN 2023

Last week, InSight Crime published an investigation charting the story of Desafío, a 28-year-old Barrio 18 gang member who is desperate to escape gang life. But there’s one problem: he’s…