Director of the Colombian National Police gave new details of the attack on the CAI in Ciudad Bolívar

The attack against the Immediate Care Center (CAI) in the Arborizadora Alta neighborhood, in the town of Ciudad Bolívar, which left 34 injured and two children killed, was financed and planned in Venezuela, as was stated by General Jorge Luis Vargas, the director of the Colombian National Police in an interview he gave to the newspaper regional El Colombiano.

The senior official recalled that this attack is attributed to Javier Alonso Velosa García alias John Mechas, criminal chief of one of the dissidents of the extinct FARC guerrilla, which ensures criminal actions from Venezuelan territory.

“There is an explicit recognition of the 33rd drug trafficking front that offends from Venezuela with 'Jhon Mechas'. Through our intelligence, human sources and a technical collection, what they said we have managed to begin to confirm. What does he do? Hire people to carry out the attacks,” he said.

General Vargas confirmed that it was the same armed organization that carried out the attack against President Iván Duque and the airport of Cucuta (Norte de Santander).

“On the one hand, they hired an organization from Cucuta for several attacks, including that of the president, that of the Brigade, attacks in Tibú and on the Astilleros road. And at the airport they hired a criminal organization from Medellín. The attack in Ciudad Bolivar has the same characteristics and it is very likely that criminal gangs from Bogotá have been hired,” he said.

In addition, he gave more details of those previous attacks in Norte de Santander, about the money and gangs that would have carried out the attacks.

“The organization in Medellín was a local drug trafficking facility. The one about the attack on the Cucuta Brigade was a cocaine trafficking organization. The 'Capi', who was hired for these attacks, was paid more than 500 million pesos. To those at the airport, 300 million. In Bogotá we are in the investigative process to find out how much they were paid.” added the director of the National Police.

Vargas also reiterated his criticism that the authorities of the Nicolás Maduro regime are fully aware that these organizations are in that territory and that far from persecuting them, they have even provided them with protection.

“To be there, it is impossible that they are not protected or have direct contact with Venezuelan police or army authorities. They have to have contact. The Eln and the 'Second Narcotaly' are completely united, they have the protection of part of the Venezuelan security forces,” said the senior official.

Meanwhile, an increase in the reward for John Mechas was announced on Tuesday, which went from 300 to 5 billion pesos following the National Security Council convened by Mayor Claudia López and led by the President of the Republic, Iván Duque.

The president also indicated that the foot of the public force in the city will be expanded, in addition to this, 120 intelligence men are available for the execution of rapid arrests against this type of criminal act.

“We have agreed to all the support of the Attorney General's Office, so that we can carry out all the investigation and prosecution expressly, and that we can also act against 36 criminal structures in the city of Bogotá, which may be involved in acts of criminal subcontracting or what are permanent threats to the citizenship”, he announced.

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