The Investigative Unit of EL TIEMPO exclusively learned of a letter filed on August 31 with the Presidency of the Republic, in which the powerful criminal gang ‘Los Pepes’, which operates in Barranquilla and its metropolitan area, expresses its willingness to submit to justice, contribute to the truth, repair the victims, and commit to peace and reconciliation.
The document, which was also sent to the Minister of Justice, Iván Cancino, Senator Enrique Gómez Martínez, and Prosecutor Luz Adriana Camargo, announces that power is given to lawyer Angélica María Martínez Cujar, so that she may act as spokesperson and mediator on their behalf, and manage everything related to the submission process.
What they are offering
In another parallel document, but with similar content, they talk about reparation to the victims, reconstruction of historical truth, resocialization, reintegration into civilian life, and dismantling of the organization ‘Los Pepes’.
“I am a person convinced that through dialogue, truth, and reparation, we can achieve stability and security for the territories, which today are plagued by armed conflict from different groups”, reads the letter signed by Palomino and Montenegro, who belonged to the criminal gang ‘Los Costeños’, but today is the second in command of ‘Los Pepes’.
In fact, they assure they are willing to serve as mediators with the illegal groups in their area of influence to stop hostilities.
The 7 commitments they offer
In a document attached to the first letter, Palomino and Montenegro subscribe to 7 points they are willing to agree to for the submission of their criminal structure.
The first of these is the willingness to submit to justice, in which they talk about appearing before authorities to answer for the acts legally attributed to them.
Additionally, commitment to the victims, actively participating in mechanisms that allow progress towards comprehensive reparation and ensuring it is not limited to economic compensation.
Another point is the contribution to historical truth. On this matter, they explain that it must be done seriously, verifiably, before the institutions responsible for administering justice so that the victims and society know the truth about the consolidation and permanence of these structures in Barranquilla and its metropolitan area.
They also talk about the primacy of restorative justice as an instrument aimed not only at sanction, but at recognizing the harm caused, repairing the victims, reconstructing the truth, and effectively reintegrating into society.
(Consult here all the articles from the Investigative Unit of EL TIEMPO)
The last three points are: commitment to a unilateral cessation of criminal activities, resocialization and return to civilian life, and an institutional call to continue this path.
Crime figures in Barranquilla
By August of this year, Barranquilla and the municipalities of its metropolitan area closed another month with more than 100 murders.
Although not all cases can be attributed to disputes between criminal gangs, records show that 56 murders occurred in Barranquilla, 39 in Soledad, nine in Malambo, two in Puerto Colombia, and one in Galapa.
Also, by August 15, Barranquilla and its metropolitan area reached 738 homicides in 2026, surpassing the 725 cases recorded throughout 2025.
INVESTIGATIVE UNIT
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