Colombia Captures Top Paramilitary Chief in Sierra Nevada

The Colombian army has captured alias Camilo, the top paramilitary leader in the Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta. Cesar Gustavo Becerra is the real name of the man arrested along with two other members of the illegal armed group called Autofedensas Conquistadoras de la Sierra Nevada (ACSN), also known as “Los Pachenca”, in rural Santa Marta.

The arrest represents an important military blow to a criminal organization that has provoked several warlike actions in the area, including the forced displacement of the population. This group operates in several departments of the Caribbean region, disputing drug routes and extortion revenues in the area.

Alias Camilo was a familiar face, as on several occasions he had been seen acting as a spokesman for his organization, asking the government of President Petro to enter the peace talks that the state is advancing through Total Peace. The ACSN leader is charged with the crimes of conspiracy to commit a crime and extortion.

An ex-military man sowing terror in the Sierra Nevada

The Pachenca are an armed group that emerged after the demobilization of the paramilitary group led by Hernan Giraldo, alias Lord of Sierra, on Colombia’s Caribbean Coast in 2008. Since then, they have been gaining prominence and territorial dominance. They currently control drug trafficking corridors and run extensive extortion networks.

Alias Camilo has been associated with a criminal organization for over five years and previously served in the Colombian Army for about a decade. His background as a professional military officer enabled him to elude law enforcement efforts for years. He maintained a significant security network, which his former military colleagues eventually breached.

“Troops of the high mountain battalion were carrying out area control through the checkpoints located to ensure the security of the villages. During these activities, they stopped a vehicle in which there were three individuals, who tried to evade the controls but were intercepted,” said the commander of the Metropolitan Police of Santa Marta, Jorge Bernal, according to W Radio.

During this arrest operation, two individuals identified as alias Porron and alias Cicatriz, accused of the crimes of carrying, trafficking and manufacturing firearms, were also captured.

Territorial control in the Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta

Sometimes allied with other paramilitary groups in the area, such as the Gaitanista Self-Defense Forces, and sometimes at odds with them, the Pachenca are now a group of no more than 250 people. They operate along the eastern Caribbean coast, with their main stronghold in the Sierra Nevada region near Santa Marta, extending their influence into La Guajira and the northern Cesar Department.

In 2022, they had a presence in 11 municipalities in several departments, according to the Peace Studies Institute, Indepaz. Their strategic territory connects key drug production zones with maritime routes, facilitating drug trafficking through the Caribbean. They control the region through extortion networks, charging merchants and residents, especially in the thriving tourist sector.

They also benefit from the forced sale of land, displacing the owners and appropriating their property. The group has been linked to many social leaders, such as Alejandro Llinas, who denounced their illegal activities. The Pachenca represent a threat to regional security, with territorial control based on violence and economic coercion.