The capture of two brothers of the guerrilla leader known as Ivan Mordisco within a matter of hours has tightened the family circle around what is now considered the most wanted criminal in Colombia.
The arrests, announced by authorities amid an offensive against dissident factions of the former FARC, represent one of the most significant blows against the close environment of the insurgent leader, beyond the captures or military killings of his collaborators.
The operation has highlighted the role that several members of his family have played in the support networks of the armed group led by Mordisco.
Although the criminal boss remains at large — he continues to be the most wanted criminal currently sought by Colombian authorities — and maintains influence over large areas of the country, the arrest of his brothers reinforces the state’s strategy of pressuring his structure through his closest circle.
Search for Ivan Mordisco: two brothers of the criminal boss detained in Colombia
Colombian authorities confirmed the capture of two brothers of the insurgent commander in operations carried out in the department of Tolima. One of them is Juan Gabriel Vera Fernandez, known by the alias “La Jota,” who was detained in the municipality of Falan during a National Police operation last weekend.
According to the official report, alias “La Jota” was considered one of the most trusted men within the structure of the criminal boss. Investigations link him to targeted killings, kidnappings, and the logistical coordination of the organization, in addition to supplying equipment and resources for armed operations.
Shortly afterward, authorities announced the capture of another brother, identified as Andrés Vera Fernández, also in Tolima. The detainee had a court order for crimes related to homicide, kidnapping, and arms trafficking, according to reports from the Ministry of Defense.
The captures occurred in less than three days and are part of an offensive directed against the operational core of the dissident factions led by Mordisco. For investigators, the pattern reveals a security strategy focused on dismantling the family networks that for years have served as support for the armed structure.
The defense minister recalled in a message published on the Ministry of Defense’s social media accounts that last year, police had already captured a brother of Mordisco, meaning that with the two captures in recent days, three brothers of this criminal boss are now under arrest.
“Rewards do work,” said Minister Pedro Sanchez, recalling that for valid information leading to the capture of Ivan Mordisco “there is a reward of 5 billion pesos (approximately US$1,300,000).” Sanchez issued a warning, assuring that “there is no place where these criminals can hide from justice and the Colombian state.”
¡Se derrumba la pirámide familiar y criminal de alias ‘Iván Mordisco’!
En menos de 72 horas logramos un nuevo golpe contra el círculo más cercano de este asesino y reclutador de menores, con la captura de alias ‘El Conejo’, su hermano y uno de los principales apoyos logísticos… pic.twitter.com/4YmSjtCD4m
— Mindefensa (@mindefensa) March 9, 2026
The family behind the criminal leader
Ivan Mordisco’s real name is Nestor Gregorio Vera Fernandez, a former member of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) who decided to remain in arms after the peace agreement signed in 2016 between the Colombian state and that guerrilla group.
Since then, he has become the leader of the so-called Central General Staff, the largest FARC dissident group, an organization that maintains a presence in several regions of the country and has been accused of participating in drug trafficking, illegal mining, and attacks against the security forces.
The weight of his leadership within that structure has led the authorities to concentrate much of their efforts on capturing or neutralizing him, after attempts at dialogue with his organization to achieve its demobilization failed.
After breaking off the controversial talks, Mordisco and his criminal structure have become the government’s main target in the fight against this type of criminal organization that hides in jungle areas across Colombia’s vast geography.
However, the recent offensive has also revealed that several members of his family have had links to the criminal apparatus. Judicial investigations indicate that some of his brothers allegedly carried out logistical support functions, territorial coordination, or the execution of armed actions within the organization.
For the authorities, the blow against Mordisco’s family has a dimension that goes beyond military operations, as the message aims to weaken the criminal leader’s authority within the dissident ranks, which already experienced a split when alias Calarca separated from Mordisco’s group and now commands another criminal faction, at times clashing with Mordisco’s over control of drug trafficking routes.
𝐄𝐍 𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐎𝐒 𝐃𝐄 𝟕𝟐 𝐇𝐎𝐑𝐀𝐒 𝐂𝐀𝐄 𝐎𝐓𝐑𝐎 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐎 𝐃𝐄 𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐀𝐒 ‘𝐈𝐕Á𝐍 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐂𝐎’: 𝐄𝐋 𝐂𝐄𝐑𝐂𝐎 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐀 𝐋𝐀𝐒 𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐒 𝐒𝐄 𝐂𝐈𝐄𝐑𝐑𝐀 🇨🇴
La captura de alias “El Conejo”, hermano de alias ‘Iván Mordisco’, confirma que la… pic.twitter.com/Lgjq0Fd6Ex
— Pedro Arnulfo Sanchez S. Orgullosamente Colombiano (@PedroSanchezCol) March 9, 2026
From Total Peace to open war
Total Peace was an ambitious attempt by President Gustavo Petro to expand the Peace Agreement reached 10 years ago between the state and the now-defunct FARC. The idea was to begin talks with various armed groups — including ELN, FARC dissident groups, paramilitary groups, and even common criminal organizations — to achieve the largest possible number of demobilizations.
Heavily criticized from the beginning, with five months left before the end of Petro’s presidency, none of these talks have produced tangible results, and what was initially a determined attempt to generously pursue peace with several of these illegal armed groups became one of the most criticized policies of the government.
After these resounding failures, the president’s determination was, without openly renouncing his Total Peace program, to launch an open war against these criminal groups. Aerial bombings were resumed, even when there was evidence of the presence of minors in the camps targeted by the attacks, something Petro himself had previously criticized.
At the same time, the tightening of the net around Ivan Mordisco became the personification of this open confrontation that represented a shift in military strategy, attacking the closest circle of this criminal, including his immediate family.