Troops of the 11th Light Infantry Battalion Cacique Nutibara, part of the Fourth Brigade, fought suspected members of the Clan del Golfo’s Edwin Román Velásquez Valle substructure in the vereda El Barcino, rural Andes, Antioquia.[1] One suspect, known as alias Saltarín, was killed in the fighting.[1] The army said Saltarín had criminal influence in the municipalities of Tarso and Pueblorrico.[1] Troops captured another suspected member, alias Marlon.[1]

Marlon already faced a judicial order and was handed to prosecutors, who were to define his legal situation.[2] During the operation, soldiers seized a pistol, 12 cartridges, a magazine and a motorcycle, with no drugs reported.[1] They also found and destroyed an improvised explosive device at the scene.[1] The army said the result damaged the structure’s armed and logistical capacity in south-western Antioquia.[1]

The Clan del Golfo has a presence in several regions of Colombia, mainly Antioquia, Chocó, Córdoba, Bolívar and Urabá, and is dedicated to drug trafficking, extortion, illegal mining and territorial control.[1] The army said it would continue operations against illegal armed groups in south-western Antioquia.[3]