Almost 72 hours after the ‘Centinela de la Patria’ operation in which Naín Andrés Pérez Toncel, alias Bendito Menor; his partner, Rosa Angélica Tarazona, alias la Bebecita; and two lieutenants were killed, new details continue to emerge about what happened on the night of last Thursday and the hours prior to the intervention of the Public Force.
As revealed by the Investigative Unit of EL TIEMPO, the woman connected 12 hours earlier to a virtual hearing in which she accepted charges brought by the Prosecutor’s Office seeking benefits and in which she also told several lies.
The history of the house
And now, EL TIEMPO established that those close to the investigation and the two leaders will request reports on the Public Force operation.
Alongside that request, authorities are already tracing the history of the luxurious house where ‘El Bendito Menor’ and ‘La Bebecita’ were hiding.
The Investigative Unit of EL TIEMPO established that investigators are tracking the owners of the property.
Although it was initially claimed to belong to a relative of the capo, this newspaper established that it is being verified whether it was rented by someone close to Bendito Menor and his partner through a short-term rental platform or ‘Airbnb’.
The results of that search will be key to determining who knew the location of the leader and whether it was the same person who provided information about their movements.
“It is a patio house, located in the Los Olivos neighborhood in Riohacha, which is normally used for vallenato parties and celebrations, not only by the criminal organization but also by ordinary people”, an investigator told EL TIEMPO.
The gray car
Another verification investigators are making is whether the gray car that was in one of the house’s parking spots is the same one in which ‘La Bebecita’ was moving hours earlier, and from where she connected to the virtual hearing in which she reached a plea agreement with the Prosecutor’s Office.
“Apparently, intelligence agents had been following the vehicle that ended up reconfirming the exact location of the leader of the Autodefensas Conquistadoras de la Sierra”, the same source told EL TIEMPO.
And added that the vehicle would have left from a rural area of La Guajira where they apparently remained hidden.
What is believed is that of the two bodyguards who ended up killed in the house, one initially left from Alta Guajira with ‘Bendito Menor’ in a truck that was reportedly moved from the area to avoid being recognized.
And that the other bodyguard was the driver of ‘La Bebecita’ who had also been tracked for several days.
The cellphone and the shell casings
Sources close to the investigation assured the Investigative Unit of EL TIEMPO that in her failed attempt to avoid being tracked, ‘La Bebecita’ threw away the cellphone from which she connected to the hearing on one of the roads near Riohacha.
“Normally, Rosa Angélica Tarazona and Naín Pérez Toncel constantly changed cellphones and phone numbers to avoid being tracked. And mostly communicated through social networks, however, due to the difficult connectivity in Alta Guajira, they had to make calls that were documented”, the same investigator told EL TIEMPO.
And added that one of these, as revealed by the Investigative Unit of EL TIEMPO, was made from the house where he was killed.
Those close to the leaders will request that, in the same report, it be established whether shell casings different from those used by the Public Force were collected to determine if there was an exchange of gunfire.
In any case, in the images after the operation, some shell casings can be seen near the bodies that have already been collected to determine if they correspond to those used by the Glock that ‘Bendito Menor’ had that same day, and which he even showed on social media.
Additionally, authorities are verifying the lies that alias La Bebecita told the Prosecutor’s Office on the day of the hearing to seal the plea agreement and obtain the benefit of house arrest.
(Check here all the articles from the Investigative Unit of EL TIEMPO)
One of these is that she no longer lived with alias Bendito Menor and that she was forcibly taken from her home in Santa Marta, a version that would be disproved because it is clear that after the hearing, ‘Bebecita’ herself went to meet her partner.
INVESTIGATIVE UNIT
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