Colombian gang leader accused of masterminding 2024 massacre captured in Spain

Jhonatan Alexander Castrillón Arango, known by the alias Pirry, was captured in Spain over his alleged role in the massacre of seven farm workers in Colombia in 2024.

Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella announced the arrest, saying Pirry was the alleged intellectual author of the killings in Rionegro, Antioquia. Spanish police detained him in Tarragona, in northeastern Spain, during an operation coordinated with Colombian authorities. He had been wanted under an Interpol red notice.

The president described Castrillón Arango as the “second-in-command of the terrorist group La Mesa,” a criminal organization operating in Antioquia. De la Espriella also said he had a 22-year criminal record and coordinated international narcotics trafficking, mainly toward Spain, France and Italy.

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second-in-command of the terrorist group La Mesa

The seven victims were killed at a farm in the Alto del Perro area of Rionegro in June 2024. Authorities found their bodies with gunshot wounds, while two other people were injured. Three people convicted in connection with the crime received prison sentences last year: Fredis Jesús Borja Guerra was sentenced to 25 years, while Felipe Osorio Álvarez and María Camila Rendón each received 23 years.

Rionegro, an agro-industrial municipality about 50 kilometers from Medellín, is also home to José María Córdova International Airport, the main airport serving northwestern Colombia.

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homicide, manufacture, trafficking and carrying of firearms, and criminal conspiracy