Meta dismantles propaganda network linked to guerrilla group operating between Colombia and Venezuela

Meta says it dismantled a digital propaganda and recruitment network tied to a far-left guerrilla organization active along the Colombia-Venezuela border. The company did not identify the group, but said it had expanded into areas abandoned by a rival organization and controlled routes used for drug trafficking and smuggling.

The network sought to recruit young people through Facebook, Instagram and encrypted messaging channels. Its material included ideological content, military-style training images and weapons-related posts. Meta also found signs that some members tried to use its platforms to coordinate offline harm, including threats against rival groups.

The campaign to remove the network began in two stages in 2025. Meta deactivated more than 250 assets, mainly Facebook accounts, early that year and blocked links leading to encrypted messaging channels. In May, it removed another 800 assets connected to the organization and an allied group operating in the region. Automated systems later disabled more than 350 additional assets in 2026.

At the center of the operation was a decades-old propaganda radio station that served as the group’s main recruitment tool. As traditional radio lost reach, part of its programming moved online, according to Cazadores de Fake News. The material appeared on encrypted messaging services and on Facebook and Instagram profiles posing as independent news outlets. Operators replicated the programming across numerous accounts and domains to keep it available after removals. Meta said it used artificial intelligence-assisted detection and automated systems to identify the scattered assets as the organization tried to rebuild its online presence.