Police chiefs investigated for extortion and arms dealing

[gbscar]

Police chiefs investigated for extortion and arms dealing
Thursday, 18 August 2011 09:06
James Bargent

High ranking police officials in the department of Nariño are being investigated for extortion and arms dealing based on the testimony of demobilized ELN guerrillas.

Colombian media reported on Thursday that prosecutors will investigate claims that Colonel William Montezuma, commander of the Nariño police force, demanded nearly $340,000 to release Gabriel Tamayo Giraldo, the legal representative of mining company Conminas.

According to the guerrilla’s testimony, police captured Giraldo after he was betrayed by a guerrilla. He allegedly paid half of what Montezuma demanded to secure his freedom.

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http://www.colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/18412-police-chiefs-investigated-for-extortion-and-arms-dealing.html

[Peace Patriot]

1. No wonder the Uribe Mob didn't want peace and demobilization of leftist guerrillas

in Colombia! I hadn't thought of this angle--what the guerrillas might know about the criminal organization running the Colombian government, with its many sub-groups of drug and arms traffickers, and rightwing death squads, throughout Colombia.

Uribe and cohorts sabotaged any peace efforts that arose to end Colombia's 70 year civil war, and, indeed, were using that war for many purposes--for instance, to decapitate the labor movement (hundreds of labor leaders murdered) and other grass roots groups, and to run 5 MILLION peasant farmers off their lands, likely in favor of the big cocaine operations. And Uribe has done quite a lot of cover this up--including midnight extraditions of death squad witnesses to the U.S., out of the reach of Colombian prosecutors (with U.S. government help), getting the chief spying witness against Uribe out of Colombia with instant asylum in Panama (probably with U.S. government help), spying and death threats against judges, prosecutors and legislative investigators (possibly with U.S. government/Bush Junta help). Buried in these actions is a probable Pandora's Box of Uribe Mob and Bush Junta crimes. But this is a new twist: What the FARC and ELN guerrillas might know about Uribe. For instance, it could have something to do with the U.S. (Bush Junta) bombing/raid on the FARC hostage release camp just inside Ecuador's border in early 2008. If that peace effort had succeeded, a lot of guerrillas would have been emerging from the jungle to tell all they know.

Very interesting development. Thanks for the tip!

[gbscar]

2. It's a very interesting angle, to be sure....

...considering that, among the many other things they must know as part of their daily experiences during the conflict, they have witnessed the results of human rights abuses and other crimes carried out by state agents. Preventing that from coming to light is certainly a factor here.

Just as well, the guerrillas themselves wouldn't be able to carry out at least some of their extortions and kidnappings, to say nothing of carrying out attacks and acquiring many of their own weapons and ammo, without having a few "friends" or collaborators in the Colombian security forces.

This specific case appears to indicate the ELN was receiving weapons from these officials in Nariño and another officer was even demanding money in order to release one of the guerrillas after he had been captured.