Deison Rodrigo Ortiz Camayo, alias ‘Esteban González’ or ‘Don Mata’ would have assumed command of the ‘Franco Benavides’ structure of the FARC dissidents from 2022, as revealed by a report to which EL TIEMPO had access.
According to the criteria of
What they affirm is that this man is not only accused of being the main person responsible for the terrorist attack with a car bomb, which left three dead and nine injured, on June 21 in the Remolino district, in the municipality of Taminango, in the department from Nariño.
Furthermore, this report indicates that ‘Mata’ would be responsible for other attacks, threats and harassment of the population of Nariño, mainly in the western mountain range, affecting municipalities such as Cumbitara, Policarpa, El Rosario, Leiva, among others.
According to the intelligence document, on February 10, 2022, alias ‘Mata’ would have been in charge of forced recruitment carried out in those municipalities of the mountain range; also weapons propaganda in order to increase his armed structure.
On April 7, 2022, it was learned that this man would be immersed in the latest confrontations and massacres perpetrated in recent years in the departments of Cauca and Nariño.
Later, on October 23, 2022, he was in charge of coordinating and directing terrorist actions against the public forces that were carrying out control in the area.
On August 18, 2023, he allegedly planned and later ordered the kidnapping of two professional soldiers in the Honduras village, in the municipality of Cumbitara, Nariño.
Almost a month later, on September 16, 2023, in the La Palma village, also in the municipality of Cumbitara, its structure, ‘Franco Benavides’, fought a battle with Army troops from that area, where Three soldiers and one officer were killed. Likewise, three uniformed officers were injured and two kidnapped.
This is the current organization chart of ‘Franco Benavides’
Deison Ortiz is currently 34 years old, he was born in Cali, but his ID was issued in Santander de Quilichao, in Cauca, where it is believed that his criminal actions began.
In 2019, he served as head of the ‘Franco Benavides’ Mobile Column structure residual commission.
Three years later, in 2022, he was promoted to second leader of this same structure and in a short time, he became the main leader of the ‘Franco Benavides’ of the FARC dissidents, which is part of the Central General Staff, as revealed also this intelligence report from the Military Forces.
Their criminal actions have been concentrated in the general area of the municipalities that make up the entire mountain range subregion in Nariño and under his command would be alias ‘Jair’ or ‘El Flaco’, who is currently the second leader and alias ‘David Murcia’, who would be the third leader of this organization.
What is the action of this structure like?
This report details that Alias ’Mata’, is in charge of coordinating the movement of war material and explosives to use them against the public force or the ELN and the Second Marquetalia with whom this structure disputes the territory.
Furthermore, together with the other ringleaders, they would have control of the main strategic mobility corridors in the department of Nariño to market cocaine hydrochloride and coca base paste.
Currently, the National Police offers a reward of up to 50 million pesos for information that allows the capture of alias ‘Don Mata’.
