Thanks to work of our soldiers, it was possible to recover a stolen vehicle, in addition to arrest alias El Indio with war and communications material.
Within the framework of stability operations, in compliance with the constitutional mission of preserving tranquility and security in the Department of Norte de Santander, soldiers of Colombian National Army arrived to the village of El Cerro, municipality of Sardinata, to recover a vehicle that had been stolen. Two individuals were arrested in flagrante delicto, including alias Daner or Sateco, the alleged ringleader of the 4 de Septiembre Company of the GAO ELN.
According to preliminary information, the military had knowledge of the theft of a company van, so they moved to the area where the vehicle was.
During the corresponding procedures, in coordination with the Judicial Police authorities and the Attorney General's Office, by means of a search warrant, two people were arrested who apparently participated in the criminal act; war material, communications, military accessories and a scarf alluding to the ELN were in the same way found at the place.
After the identification of those arrested, it is determined that one of them is alias Daner or Sateco, who would have been more than 12 years in the organized armed group, and would be responsible for terrorist operations in the department, including the murder of two civilians in the urban area of Tibú, in July 2019, the installation of a minefield against the soldiers of Brigade 30 in the sector of La Virgen, where three soldiers were killed and two more injured, in March 2019, the activation of an explosive device against the police in the village Vigilancia, municipality of Cúcuta, which left two police officers killed and one injured, in May 2020, and, he would be in charge of leading the armed confrontations against members of the GAO Clan del Golfo in rural area of Cúcuta, in July 2023.
This individual would have interference operations in the municipality of Sardinata, Tibú and rural area of Cúcuta, and is responsible for the murder of two civilians and the installation of a minefield in Tibú, Department of Norte de Santander, in 2019.
Currently alias Daner or Sateco had an arrest warrant in force, issued by the Attorney General's Office and he would be the ringleader of this structure since 2018.
The other arrested, alias El Indio, was in the same way part of this structure and had been in this group for more than 8 years, as an explosives expert for the Company.
This event constitutes a flagrant violation of the bilateral, temporary and national ceasefire; under this premise, the group of crimes cannot be allowed, so it is our duty as Military Forces to act effectively and promptly to prevent and neutralize this type of events; for this reason, the Monitoring and Review Mechanism was informed in a timely manner, as appropriate.
The men and the material found in the area were put into custody of the authority for the respective prosecution.
Source: Press Second Division - National Army
