Colombia kills top Sierra Nevada paramilitary financier in operation near Santa Marta
Colombia’s National Police, backed by the Air Force, say they killed seven members of the Autodefensas Conquistadoras de la Sierra Nevada near Santa Marta, including the group’s second‑in‑command and financier known as “Cholo,” and seized heavy weapons.
Colombia has struck a senior figure in one of the country’s most entrenched criminal organizations on the Caribbean coast.
According to initial reporting, Colombia’s National Police, supported by the Air Force, carried out an operation in a rural area near Santa Marta that left seven members of the Autodefensas Conquistadoras de la Sierra Nevada (ACSN) dead. Among them was a commander known by the alias “Cholo,” identified by authorities as the group’s second‑in‑command and chief financier.
Security forces also captured three other ACSN members and seized 10 rifles, including a .50‑caliber Barrett, along with grenade launchers and other weapons.
The ACSN operates in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta region and is a key armed actor along Colombia’s Caribbean corridor. The group is involved in activities such as drug trafficking and extortion, using the mountains and coastal lowlands to control routes toward Caribbean embarkation points.
Taking out a figure described as both second‑in‑command and financier is a significant tactical blow to the organization’s leadership and funding streams. The presence of a .50‑caliber Barrett anti‑materiel rifle and grenade launchers in the seized arsenal underlines the level of firepower ACSN units can bring to bear against security forces.
What comes next will determine whether this is a short‑term disruption or part of a broader shift in control over the Sierra Nevada corridor. Signs to watch include any retaliatory attacks in rural areas around Santa Marta, moves by remaining ACSN members to regroup under new leadership, and whether authorities follow up with operations targeting the group’s wider financial and logistical networks.
Sources
- OSINT