COLOMBIA: Colombian authorities arrest leader of paramilitary group

Record ID: 449624

  • Title: COLOMBIA: Colombian authorities arrest leader of paramilitary group
  • Date: 4th April 2007
  • Summary: (BN05) BOGOTA, COLOMBIA (APRIL 03, 2007) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF DETAINEE BEING BROUGHT IN BY POLICE VARIOUS OF DETAINEE WITH POLICE IN FRONT OF MEDIA POLICEMEN POLICE TAKES DETAINEE OUT OF THE ROOM CONFISCATED WEAPONRY MEDIA (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) JUAN MANUEL SANTOS, DEFENSE MINISTER SAYING: "Alias HH had agreed to stop the illegal activities, and then he continued breaking the law, for that reason he will not have any kind, any kind of benefit when it comes to the law of justice and peace and he will be treated as the normal criminal that he is." GENERAL VIEW OF PRESS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) JUAN MANUEL SANTOS, DEFENSE MINISTER SAYING: "This Alias HH is the right hand of Vicente Castaño; we also want to repeat that there is a five million dollars reward." MEDIA
  • Embargoed: 19th April 2007 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Colombia
  • Country: Colombia
  • Topics: Crime / Law Enforcement,War / Fighting
  • Reuters ID: LVACZYH1F04JVO691ZC4PUNW0YZF
  • Story Text: Colombian Police captured and presented to the media on Tuesday (April 03) one of the leaders of the paramilitary group who is being accused of drugtrafficking and of organizing illegally armed groups in different regions of the country.
    Colombia's Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos told reporters that the arrest of Ever Veloza García was a severe blow to the paramilitary group because of his position within the organization.
    "This Alias HH is the right hand of Vicente Castaño; we also want to repeat that there is a five million dollars reward," Santos said.
    Authorities captured Veloza Garica and four others in the town of Tarso, Antioquia, some 250 kilometres northeast of Bogotá. Weapons, communication equipment, and cash were confiscated during the arrest.
    Veloza led a faction of the paramilitary group that controlled a banana producing region for years and had reached a ceased-fire agreement in 2004.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register