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Carlos Arturo Landázuri Cortés after his arrest
Photo: AFP
Police in Ecuador have caught the leader of a splinter group of the Farc rebel organization from neighboring Colombia.
Ecuador's police chief César Augusto Zapata announced the arrest of Carlos Arturo Landázuri Cortés, also known as Comandante Gringo, on Monday on the online service X.
His arrest was preceded by months of investigations by the police and secret service.
Landázuri was one of Colombia's most wanted criminals.
He is accused, among other things, of being involved in the kidnapping and murder of a group of Ecuadorian journalists in 2018.
He was the leader of the Oliver Sinisterra Front, a splinter group of the now-defunct FARC guerrillas after his predecessor was killed by Colombian soldiers that same year.
According to the Colombian public prosecutor's office, the Oliver Sinisterra Front is also active in drug trafficking.
She is therefore involved in smuggling cocaine into the USA and Europe.
For six decades, Colombia has suffered from armed conflict between the state and left-wing guerrilla groups, right-wing paramilitaries and drug smugglers.
In 2016, the largest guerrilla organization FARC signed a peace agreement with the government.
However, several FARC splinter groups rejected the peace agreement.
The left-wing President Gustavo Petro took office in 2022 with the aim of bringing “complete peace” to the country.
Since then, peace talks have been held with the National Liberation Army (ELN) and the largest FARC splinter group EMC.
So far nothing is known about discussions with the Oliver Sinisterra Front.
Colombia's neighboring country Ecuador was long considered comparatively peaceful and stable.
In recent years, the country has also become a hub for international drug trafficking.
Since then, violent crime has also increased massively.
dop/AFP