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’.
He is the financial chief of the so-called Frontera Command, 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, the criminal lawyer Yeferson Torres Ramírez, asked the second promiscuous court of Silvia (Cauca) that the capture legalization proceeding, which is taking place this Saturday morning, be kept confidential.
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 Frontera Command.
Vélez Romero claimed in the capture legalization hearing to be part of an indigenous community.
Connection with the narco-driver
This newspaper investigated and established that the collaboration of 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 truck 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. 3,115 kilos of the alkaloid are mentioned.
(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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