Colombia’s police arrested a boss of the Gaitanistas drug gang, who ran operations in the northeast region of La Guajira.
Rodrigo Antonio Oquendo Urrego, alias “Rigo” or “Uber,” was captured in the central Antioquia department. He was a member of paramilitary organization the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia – AUC‘s) Northern Bloc before demobilizing.
Oquendo was considered to be a close associate of the Usuga brothers who head the Gaitanistas gang; Juan de Dios, alias “Giovanni,” and Dario Antonio.
Police said Oquendo managed extortion, assassinations and drug trafficking operations in the strategic region, which is bordered by Venezuela and the Caribbean sea.
See InSight’s map of the dynamics of the conflict in La Guajira here.