HomeNewsBriefColombia Authorities 'Narrow In' on Gaitanistas Leader With Latest Arrest
BRIEF

Colombia Authorities 'Narrow In' on Gaitanistas Leader With Latest Arrest

COLOMBIA / 22 MAY 2018 BY PARKER ASMANN EN

Authorities in Colombia have captured one of the last remaining leaders of the Gaitanistas, a devastating blow to the country’s most powerful drug trafficking organization that could solidify the group’s fall.

In a joint military operation on May 21, authorities captured Daniel Martínez Caraballo, alias “Samuel,” in San Jacinto municipality in the northern department of Bolivar, according to a press release from the Attorney General’s Office.

According to a military press release, Samuel is the alleged successor of Manuel Arístides Meza Páez, alias “El Indio,” the Gaitanistas' former finance chief and head of operations in various strategic regions. Colombian security forces killed El Indio in March 2018 as part of a joint security initiative known as “Operation Agamemnon II” aimed at taking down the criminal group.

SEE ALSO: Colombia News and Profiles

Samuel allegedly headed the drug trafficking, extortion and illegal mining operations of the “Erlín Pino Duarte” armed wing of the Gaitanistas, also known as the Gulf Clan, Urabeños, and Gaitanist Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (Autodefensas Gaitanistas de Colombia – AGC). According to the military press release, Samuel also orchestrated attacks against Colombian security forces and the National Liberation Army (Ejército de Liberación Nacional - ELN), one of the country’s last remaining guerrilla groups.

The arrest of Samuel is a serious blow to the AGC's finances. According to the military press release, Samuel’s arrest affects up to 30 percent of the group’s illegal earnings.

InSight Crime Analysis

The capture of Samuel is yet another setback to the already severely weakened AGC, and could be a sign that authorities are narrowing in on the group’s leader and Colombia’s most wanted criminal.

The AGC's leadership has been decimated by Colombian security forces in recent months. In late 2017, security forces killed Roberto Vargas Gutiérrez, alias “Gavilán,” the group’s second-in-command. This was followed shortly after by the arrest of Luis Orlando Padierna, alias "Inglaterra," another high-ranking boss, as well as the death of El Indio in early 2018. This has, in part, prompted AGC's leader Dairo Antonio Úsuga, alias “Otoniel,” to offer to surrender himself and his organization.

The official strategy now seems to be focusing not only on captures but on cutting Otoniel's financial sources.

SEE ALSO: Urabeños News and Profile

While Otoniel -- Colombia’s most-wanted criminal -- has yet to surrender, authorities say that they are “narrowing in” on him after the recent arrest of Samuel. As other competing criminal groups try to stake their claim on territory the Urabeños are no longer able to control, previous talks of a possible surrender agreement between the group and the Colombian government could resurface as Otoniel runs out of options.

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 / 29 OCT 2021

series of attacks on oil pipelines in Colombia's northeastern department of Santander, for which the ELN has claimed responsibility, could…

COLOMBIA / 3 OCT 2022

Colombian rebels had long been welcome in Venezuela but now, they have arrived in force, bringing conflict with them.

BRAZIL / 24 MAR 2022

The 2021 ranking of the world's most violent cities predictably features a heavy presence by Latin American and Caribbean population…

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…