Colombia’s Petro Government Calls for Halting Arrest of Gulf Clan’s Leader and 28 Others

With barely three months left before handing over power, the government of President Gustavo Petro asked the Attorney General’s Office to suspend the arrest warrants pending against 29 members of the criminal gang known as the Gulf Clan.

The request once again reopened the discussion in the country because it is being made within the framework of the president’s total peace policy, which so far has not produced a single concluded negotiation process.

The resistance of civil society toward talks with this type of organization lies in the fact that, because they are groups of common criminals, the government can only offer them a process of submission to justice, but not a political negotiation, as has occurred with guerrilla groups with which peace agreements have been reached.

In its attempt to present itself as a political movement, the Gulf Clan also calls itself the Gaitanista Army of Colombia (EGC).

However, the Gulf Clan is currently the most powerful illegal armed organization in Colombia, with a significant presence in strategic regions such as Uraba, the Caribbean, Bajo Cauca in Antioquia, and Catatumbo.

It carries on its shoulders the heavy shadow of its origins, which trace back to the paramilitary United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC). Today, it is a criminal structure with nationwide reach, involved in activities such as drug trafficking, illegal mining, and extortion.

‘Chiquito Malo,’ draws the most attention

Despite that, since August 2024, the government of President Petro has been carrying out exploratory talks with that organization. This Friday, May 8, it became known that the peace commissioner adviser, Otty Patiño, signed a resolution announcing the names of 29 members of the Gulf Clan who will benefit from the suspension of arrest warrants and extradition requests.

On the list, the name of Jobanis de Jesus Avila Villadiego, alias “Chiquito Malo,” has drawn attention. He is the man who replaced alias “Otoniel,” the former head of the criminal gang who was captured by Colombian authorities and later extradited to the United States.

At the beginning of this year, the Supreme Court of Justice authorized the extradition of alias “Chiquito Malo” to the United States. The decision was signed by Justice Fernando Leon Bolaños, who concluded that the U.S. request complied with the requirements established by the Constitution.

In Colombia, there is a reward of 4 billion pesos (a little more than US$1 million) for alias “Chiquito Malo,” who is wanted by the Southern District Court of Florida to answer charges of criminal conspiracy and illicit drug trafficking. If Colombia’s Attorney General’s Office accepts the request from President Petro’s government, the pursuit against the head of the Gulf Clan would be suspended.

It emerged that the main objective of this decision is to allow the criminals to move to the Temporary Location Zones (ZUT), where the beginning of the demobilization process and transition to legality is expected in Choco and Cordoba. But the Government made clear in the document several reservations regarding the scope of the measure.

“Any movement carried out under this resolution must have a direct, verifiable, and exclusive purpose of preparation, coordination, or execution of entry into ZUT, and may not be used for activities that are different, incompatible, or contrary to the peace commitments assumed,” the resolution states.

The idea is that, progressively, the members of the Gulf Clan will relocate to ZUTs in the municipalities of Tierralta (Cordoba) and Belen de Bajira (Choco) starting on June 25 of this year. This was agreed upon by the delegations of the Petro government and the spokesmen for alias “Chiquito Malo” in an agreement signed on April 24.

List of Gulf Clan members benefiting

The Petro government’s version is that this resolution has a restricted character and does not constitute authorization to move throughout the national territory: “The mobility of the people included on the list is limited to the municipalities where, at the time this resolution was issued, EGC (Gulf Clan) has a presence, and to movement from those places toward the corresponding ZUT, as well as movements strictly indispensable to prepare that entry.”

According to the resolution, the 29 people linked to the Gulf Clan whose arrest warrants will be suspended at the request of the Petro government are:

1. Tatiana Andrea Correa Jaramillo.
2. Jose Francisco Peña Santana.
3. Luis Enrique Martinez Cogollo.
4. Carlos Andres Mendez Paternidad.
5. Ermy Daniel Velasquez Cuadrado.
6. Fredy Ferney Anaya Mejia.
7. Andres Arrieta Cardona.
8. Luis Antonio Mogrovejo.
9. Jobanis de Jesus Avila Villadiego.
10. Orosman Orlando Osten Blanco.
11. Elkin Casarrubia Posada.
12. Wilmar Albeiro Mejia Usuga.
13. Luis Armando Perez Castaneda.
14. Jose Alberto Vega Alvaran.
15. Deneil Enrique Acosta Ballesteros.
16. Alvaro Padilla Medina.
17. Julio Cesar Sanchez.
18. Ana Gisela Vasquez Jimenez.
19. Jesus Betancur.
20. Juan Pablo Marin Quiceno.
21. Esneider Paul Torres Santero.
22. Juan Carlos Hernandez Diaz.
23. Armando Morellys Socorras Negrete.
24. Jesus Arnovis Betancur Sepulveda.
25. Arturo Efrain Viera Almanza.
26. Jesus Ramos Machado.
27. Juan David Bahena Miranda.
28. Jose Higinio Arroyo Ojeda.
29. Jaime Antonio Morelo Fajardo.