In the last few hours, within the framework of a joint operation, carried out in the Catarina village, a rural area of the municipality of Ansermanuevo, the security forces managed to neutralize to Nelson Augusto Gaviria Franco, alias Ghostand three of his alleged collaborators, members of the powerful criminal group ‘La Nueva Generación’ from Valle del Cauca.
According to the criteria of
When the authorities arrived, they were greeted with gunfire, which caused an immediate reaction. In the confrontation, these four people were neutralized, among them, in addition to ‘Fantasma’Luis Carlos Obando Bedoya, alias Loco Luis, Alejandro Arias Largo, alias Poceta, and a minor under 17 years of age, known as alias Cachetes.
This operation had the participation of the Valle Police Department, the Directorate of Criminal Investigation and Interpol (Dijín) and intelligence personnel, in collaboration with the Prosecutor’s Office, and the technical support of the Air Force and the Army’s Special Strategic Command.
Area where the operation was carried out.
Photo:Courtesy
Colonel Giovanni Cristancho Zambrano, commander of the Valle Police Department, pointed out that alias Fantasma, ringleader and head of hitmen, had four arrest warrants for aggravated homicide and illegal possession of weapons. “It was considered a myth of insecurity by the community.”
Alias Fantasma maintained criminal influence in the municipalities of Ansermanuevo, El Águila, Toro and Cartago, and had a criminal history of 14 years. He began his career in Urabá and later joined the GDO Los Flacos.
In 2020, together with Jhon Jairo Londoño López, alias El Zarco, founded the Common Organized Criminal Group ‘Nueva Generación’, responsible for more than 40 selective homicides.
The authorities indicate that in addition, alias Fantasma was formally linked to the massacre of March 25, 2022, in which four people died in La María, rural area of El Águila. In addition, he was attributed with the murder of Army Vice First Sergeant, Elver Yesid Pérez, occurred in March 2024 in the same area.
Items seized in the operation.
Photo:Courtesy
The authorities also reported that alias Fantasma coordinated a drug trafficking network with employees of coffee farms, controlling more than 50 rural stores that generated up to 5 million pesos a day, collecting approximately 35 million pesos a week.
For its part, alias Loco Luis, had an arrest warrant for aggravated homicide, while alias Poceta, He had been released from the Jamundí maximum security prison three months ago, also for homicide.
The operation, the result of 12 months of intelligence and field work, allowed the seizure of 6 firearms, a fragmentation grenade, communication radios, ammunition of different calibers, military clothing and a large quantity of narcotics.
The CTI carried out the technical inspection of the bodies at the scene. With this operation, at least 11 homicides that occurred in the north of the Valley were clarified. The urgent acts were made available to the Attorney General’s Office.
JESUS BLANQUICET
Justice editorial team @JusticiaET
