By Carlos López, EL TIEMPO, March 16, 2025
(Translated by Eunice Gibson, CSN Volunteer Translator)
There are connections between organized crime and the security companies that are dedicated to supplying them. That’s what has come to light with the discovery and capture of three men who have been at the service of networks like the Clan del Golfo, “Los Triana”, “the Office in Envigado”, and the circle of crime commanded by the recently arrested Oliverio Isaza, alias “El Terror”.
The three men are Pedro Alejandro Ruíz, José Omar Urrego, and Oswaldo Castaño, captured to answer allegations of criminal conspiracy for putting together their security businesses as shell companies for criminal activity. Since they were arrested at the end of February, it has been possible to learn the details and the names of the individuals who are the principal ringleaders in the illegal networks; but on the companies’ payrolls, their names appear as certified and accredited bodyguards, with falsified documentation.
EL TIEMPO was able to see the part of the file, where there is an additional ingredient: two of the men arrested are retired Police Officials who, after their retirement, formed companies that appear to be at the service of the mafias. Retired Colonel Ruíz did that with Pretorian Security, and Retired Captain Urrego with Securbel, Ltd.
They were all fronts with what looks like falsified work histories and contracts with people that equipped themselves as bodyguards for the chieftains of illegal groups. The Attorney General’s Office expressed it this way: “The Colonel had them carry our different crimes (. . .) and at the same time Sr. Ruíz was in possession of property that appears to have its origin in activities like weapons trafficking, drug trafficking, and unjust enrichment.”
The “Cabillista” (The Horseman), bodyguard and chieftain
The network of the Colonel, who during his years in Police service was a distinguished Officer, has been committing crimes in Villvicencio and Bogotá since July of 2021 in association with people like José Orlando Buitrago, alias “Tito, el Borracho” (“Tito the Drunk”); the extraditable Fabián Arley Borreño and Édgar Elicio Munevar Castillo, alias “El Caballista”, and, according to the prosecutor, he has furnished them weapons to use for their illegal purposes.
That phony contractual relationship is evidenced in at least three events set forth before a judge by a prosecutor. From 2022 to 2023, he joined together with El Caballista for the delivery of a weapon to Pretorian which he used to extort from his victims in Bogotá, and he took part in the escape and flight of Juan Larrison Castro, alias “Matamba”in 2022.
Regarding that chapter, on June 10, 2023, the Attorney General’s Office has obtained a falsified document in which El Caballista requested the return of some weapons, trying to argue that they belonged to Pretorian’s bodyguards. That was a clue for the authorities to the illegal puzzle that that they were organizing.
The second event has to do with the extraditable Bareño, while the other charge hits “Tito el Borracho” with an accusation of drug trafficking which was paying him 1 ½ million pesos (roughly USD $362 according to current exchange rates) every month for carrying a weapon with the Taurus brand.
In the business that Ruíz owned, among the 12 phony bodyguards were Raúl Albeiro Arenas Vélez, the boss of “Los Triana”; Rigoberto Arias, head of “Los Rolos”(“The Rollers”); Miguel Bastidas, alias “Gargola”, boss of “La Constru” and now accused of being a FARC Dissident; Gerson Jiménez, alias “Carbonero” (“Troublemaker”), charged with drug trafficking in El Quindío; and Luis Alberto Zapata Sánchez, alias “El Negro”, boss of “Los Rastrojos” in Putumayo.
Captain Urrego
With regard to Captain José Omar Urrego, the prosecutors believe that since June of 2023 he has been unjustly enriched with 302 million pesos (roughly USD $72,721 at current exchange rates) because it appears that he allied himself with some of those mentioned above and also with Jesús Martin Bello, supposedly the boss of a “collection office” belonging to the Clan del Golfo in Bogotá. Alejandro Enrique Vargas and Juan Carlos Castro, alias “Pechi Belén” and the alleged boss of the “Office in Envigado”, and he was also furnishing them with weapons.
All in all, in Securbel there are 85 workers, “of whom seven are bodyguards and are being investigated for serious crimes,” said the prosecutor, explaining that another one of them would be Jhon Alexander Calderón, alias “Largo”, accused of 117 murders in cities such as Cali.
The name of Oliverio Isaza, alias “Terror”, son of “expara” Ramón Isaza, appears in the catalog of charges against the third defendant, Jorge Oswaldo Castaño who, although he was not a Police Officer, from August of 2020 had been committing crimes with his business, Sara Ltd. In Bogotá, Puerto Triunfo, Ibagué, and Neiva, in the service of “Terror” and the other “exparas”, Jhon Fredy Gallo, alias “Pajaro”, and Ferney Tulio Castrillón.
They have received accreditation as bodyguards, and thus they were able to move their weapons, which, in the case of “Pajaro”, the weapons had been used by the illegal network known as “The Company”, in exchange for 40 million pesos (roughly USD $9,525 at current exchange rates). In general, in the company Sara, Ltd., there are five individuals being investigated by the authorities for allegedly committing murders and other serious crimes.
According to the prosecutors, Castaño, some time ago, sent 94 million pesos (roughly USD $22,474 at current exchange rates) to Yolima Murgas Guzmán, who was in Spain when she received them. She appears to be the partner of Fredy Castellón Carrillo, alias “Pinocho”, the alleged chief of “Los Pachenca”.
In the hearing on the charges, the three men pleaded “Not Guilty”. Also at the hearing, the prosecutor made clear that the investigation is continuing and there may be additional charges filed.
The attorney representing the government Bureau of Oversight of Private Security pointed out that, as there are victims, the charges against the three are extremely serious because they affect the agency, “and place national security and public order at risk” because they are charged with using licenses issued by the agency to shell companies that used them for the commission of crimes.