Juan Larinson Castro, alias Matamba, who had escaped from La Picota prison last March, died in a police operation this Thursday. The President of the Republic, Iván Duque, assured that the national government will continue working so that members of the Clan del Golfo “continue to go out of circulation”
The leader of the Cordillera del Sur had been captured in 2021 and was facing prosecution in the state of Florida (United States) for money laundering and cocaine and heroin trafficking.
Since Juan Larinson Castro Estupiñán, alias Matamba, escaped from La Picota prison in Bogotá on March 18,There had been speculation about the whereabouts of the leader of “La Cordillera Sur”, belonging to the Clan del Golfo criminal group, which operated in the Pacific region of Nariño and who was accused in the country of kidnapping, torture, homicide of a protected person, forced displacement and conspiracy to commit a crime.
But the search for the criminal leader ended this Thursday, May 26, when the president, Iván Duque, announced through his Twitter account the death of Matamba at the hands of the security forces: “I want to inform the country that, in an operation of our National Police in coordination with the Attorney General’s Office, in Bolívar (Santander), Juan Larinson Castro Estupiñán alias Matamba, former leader of the “Gulf Clan” and one of the most wanted criminals in the country, was neutralized.”
< p class=”paragraph”>Only hours after this news, the National Police shared an image of the place where the fugitive from justice had allegedly been discharged. The house would be located in the municipality of Bolívar (Santander).In it you can see a truck and an uncovered road. However, the authorities have not confirmed the date of the photo or the exact coordinates of the location of the property.
During this Thursday, the president has delivered information about the operation where they would have dismissed Matamba. Duque assured that during the actions carried out, the dejected man tried to attack members of the public force: “A criminal, a sewer rat, also a member of that Gulf Clan who tried to make fun of this country, of the authorities, of justice. He was discharged when he also tried to attack the security forces, attacking them, so he died in that combat . These criminals from the Clan del Golfo are going to continue to fall, ”he stated to the media.
In addition, he stated: “We are going to liberate the country from all these symbols of evil, every time a symbol of evil falls, the Colombian State wins, this is a triumph of legality.”
Finally, the president highlighted the efforts of the Police and the Attorney General’s Office to achieve this result and reiterated that while he is in office he will continue working to combat illegal gangs. “No criminal is above the State, justice and the heroes of Colombia. Here we rest, security is a public good and a democratic value, here bandits are captured, discharged or extradited”, concluded Duque.
The leader of the Cordillera del Sur had been captured in 2021 and was facing prosecution in the state of Florida (United States) for money laundering and cocaine and heroin trafficking. Defense Minister Diego Molano explained on his behalf that Matamba’s death occurred after a chase in which a special team of 60 investigators from the Antinarcotics Directorate participated. According to the official, this would be the same group that had captured him on May 18, when he was celebrating his birthday in a residential complex in Bucaramanga.
The Colombian authorities They point out that Matamba was one of the most wanted drug traffickers in the country for his links with the Sinaloa Cartel, drug traffickers from Valle, Antioquia and with the Second Marquetalia. Precisely, they were accused of ordering selective homicides and disappearances in the towns of La Esmeralda, El Palmar, El Ejido, Madrigal and Policarpa in the department of Nariño.
In his communication this Thursday, Minister Molano affirmed that: “Nobody can make fun of justice in Colombia, another one from the Clan del Golfo whose criminal businesses are finished, we fight those who threaten Colombians.”