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Criminal Group Extorts Billions Monthly Through Illegal Activities, Report Finds
🇨🇴 Colombia /Crime & Justice

Criminal Group Extorts Billions Monthly Through Illegal Activities, Report Finds

From El Tiempo · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Documents & data Context piece
  • A report by the Ideas for Peace Foundation reveals that the AGCs criminal group extorts up to $7 billion monthly through illegal activities.
  • The group's illicit income streams include extortion, drug trafficking, and imposing fees on businesses, tourism, and transportation.
  • Key leaders, including one known as 'Bendito Menor,' are identified as central figures in the criminal structure operating across Magdalena, La Guajira, and Cesar.

Colombia's criminal group, the AGC, is reportedly generating up to $7 billion monthly through a network of extortion and drug trafficking operations, according to a report by the Ideas for Peace Foundation (FIP). The illegal structure imposes "taxes" on merchants, the tourism sector, and transportation services across the departments of Magdalena, La Guajira, and Cesar. The FIP report highlights that the group's criminal activities extend beyond these regions, indicating a significant and widespread presence. Among the identified leaders is a figure known as 'Bendito Menor,' who is reportedly a key figure within the criminal organization's hierarchy. The foundation's findings underscore the substantial financial power and reach of the AGC, posing a significant challenge to regional security and economic stability.

DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by El Tiempo in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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