CTI agents from the Prosecutor’s Office and the military Gaula captured last Friday, July 24, in the neighboring municipality of Chía, an alleged dissident leader of the so-called Frontera commands who was hiding on the outskirts of Bogotá.
The detainee is considered the second in command of that criminal structure after Geovany Andrés Rojas, alias “la Araña” (the Spider), one of the dissidents who participated in dialogue tables with the Petro government.
‘El Mono’
EL TIEMPO had exclusive access to reports of the arrest which state that the captured individual was identified as Luis Carlos Vélez Romero, alias “el Mono” (the Monkey).
He is the financial chief of the so-called Comando de Frontera, which controls cocaine trafficking on the borders between Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela.
Although the details of the capture have been kept under absolute reserve, this newspaper investigated and established that alias “el Mono” was arrested as part of a process for conspiracy to commit a crime and drug trafficking.
Vélez Romero’s lawyer, criminal lawyer Yeferson Torres Ramírez, asked the second promiscuous court of Silvia (Cauca) that the capture legalization hearing, which is taking place this Saturday morning, be private.
The mansion in Chía
EL TIEMPO investigated and established that Vélez Romero was captured in luxurious house number 9 of the Hacienda Fontanar complex located on the road connecting Chía to Cajicá, which was raided.
According to the Prosecutor’s Office’s evidence, the alleged capo would be the leader of a drug trafficking structure known as ‘Hano’, which would move part of the cocaine for the Comando de Frontera.
Vélez Romero claimed to be part of an indigenous community at the capture legalization hearing.
Connection with the narco-driver
This newspaper investigated and established that Manuel Castañeda, alias “el narcochofer” (the narco-driver), was key to identifying ‘el Mono’. Castañeda was captured in 2022, on roads in Cauca, transporting cocaine in a van assigned to the National Protection Unit (UNP).
According to the evidence against alias ‘El Mono’, the alleged capo would have been responsible for more than 11 cocaine shipments. This amounts to 3,115 kilos of the alkaloid.
(Consult all articles from EL TIEMPO’s Investigative Unit here)
Furthermore, he is attributed with large financial movements with which he would corrupt public force agents.
INVESTIGATIVE UNIT
u.investigativa@eltiempo.com
@UinvestigativaET
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