Members of the Army and Military Gaula arrived at a luxurious mansion located in the south of Cali to execute an arrest warrant for extradition purposes against a suspected Valle drug lord.
According to authorities, the man allegedly had criminal dealings with the Farc dissidents, from the ‘Iván Mordisco’ faction, for the export of cocaine to the United States through Colombian Pacific ports. And in a parallel operation in Cundinamarca, his brother, also linked to drug trafficking, was captured.
Link to the dissidents
In the operation, which had the collaboration of the DEA, the captured individual was identified as Gerley Yepes López, with an ID from Manizales, Caldas.
Yepes López is wanted for extradition by the Eastern District Court of Texas, for the crimes of drug trafficking and conspiracy to commit a crime.
According to the authorities’ report, the subject is accused, along with his brother, Fabián Andrés Yepes López, of being the leaders of a transnational criminal organization involved in coordinating the manufacture and distribution of cocaine destined for the United States.
The individuals are directly linked to the Carlos Patiño structure, of the Farc Dissidents, an organization that mainly operates in the southwest of the country, with presence in the departments of Cauca, Valle del Cauca, and Nariño.
Hotels, nightclub, and gym
Investigators are already tracking the brothers’ fortune to determine if it is the result of their criminal activities.
The businesses include hotels and nightclubs.
Indeed, the Investigative Unit of EL TIEMPO established that Gerley Yepes was the owner of the Villa Salome hotel, located in the city of Tumaco, Nariño.
As well as the nightclub Ibiza Disco Club, in the same city, considered one of the most popular in the area.
He also owns a gym, called Katana Box, located in the exclusive Prado de Limonar area, in the south of Cali, registered in May 2024.
Meanwhile, his brother Fabián Andrés owns a 6-story hotel in front of the beach in Tumaco, named Hotel Premium, opened last January.
Additionally, a property in the exclusive Essenza condominium, in the south of Cali.
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This last one was where they captured Gerley Yepes.
It is being investigatedwhether the individuals used these businesses to hide the finances obtained from their drug trafficking activities.
INVESTIGATIVE UNIT
u.investigativa@eltiempo.com
@UinvestigativaET
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