Captured militia boss faces murder, terrorism charges

[Judi Lynn]

Source: International Herald Tribune

Captured militia boss faces murder, terrorism charges
The Associated Press
Published: April 3, 2007

BOGOTA, Colombia: Authorities captured a fugitive right-wing warlord accused in massacres and of running a murderous criminal band involved in drug trafficking and extortion.

Ever Veloza, one of the few top paramilitary bosses who fled into hiding rather than embrace a government peace deal, was arrested Tuesday in the turbulent banana-growing Uraba region on the Caribbean coast, police said.

Better known by his alias "Hernan Hernandez," Veloza once commanded the Banana and Calima blocs of the United Self-Defense Forces, known by its Spanish initials as AUC.

The two blocs are blamed for hundreds of murders of human rights activists, suspected rebel sympathizers and union activists, and Veloza already faces charges in the April 11, 2001, massacre of 26 peasants in the southwestern town of Naya.


Read more: http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/04/04/america/LA-GEN-Colombia-Paramilitary-Captured.php

[noel adamson]

1. He certainly sounds like a "Good Bushie".

[Judi Lynn]

2. Colombia's President was willing to lift the arrest orders on this creep back in 11-2004

~snip~
Colombia has lifted arrest orders on three paramilitary leaders, one wanted in the U.S. for drug trafficking, to allow them to coordinate the demobilisation of 3,000 of their troops. "The AUC has shown the will and commitment to carry out the demobilisation," the presidential resolution says. One of the three leaders is AUC chief Salvatore Mancuso, whom the U.S. wants to extradite for cocaine smuggling. The others are Ivan Roberto Duque and Ever Veloza. They had been wanted in Colombia for crimes including murder, massacre and kidnapping. The trio are now allowed to move freely in the country to carry out the demobilisation.
(snip)

http://www.abcolombia.org.uk/previews_weeks.asp?id=53

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Uribe was happy to let him run freely knowing how much grief and suffering he had caused, back in 2004.
Very, very goddamned wierd.

[Bacchus39]

5. to carry out the demobilization

he did not do so, and was a fugitive and now has been caught. comprendes???



"Ever Veloza, one of the few top paramilitary bosses who fled into hiding rather than embrace a government peace deal, was arrested Tuesday in the turbulent banana-growing Uraba region on the Caribbean coast, police said."

"Veloza demobilized along with more than 500 fighters in December 2004 but went into hiding last August when paramilitary bosses were asked to turn themselves in and submit to a peace process with President Alvaro Uribe's government."

"Under the deal, the warlords — many wanted for extradition by the United States on drug-trafficking charges — are to serve no more than eight years in prison in return for confessing to all their crimes."

"Veloza does not qualify for a reduced sentence because he continued to head an illegal militia and traffic in narcotics, Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos told reporters."

[Judi Lynn]

3. From last year: "Former AUC Members Reveal Black Eagles Now in Uraba Region"

Former AUC Members Reveal Black Eagles Now in Uraba Region - Medellin El Colombiano reports that anonymous former members of the AUC's Bananero Bloc say that the group is forming under the leadership of close associates of Ever Veloza, alias Hernan Hernandez, the former chief of the Bananero Bloc. The new criminal organization is said to be taking up weapons to fight for the control of drug trafficking routes. One former member of the bloc was murdered in Turbo on 5 January and the next day two others were attacked, in events that the demobilized combatants of the area say are related. Turbo government secretary Freddy Cuesta indicated that there is no information on such groups and no reports have been made to security councils. The English language summary reports that the murder victim worked with a company of former paramilitaries who now serve as watchmen for banana producers and transporters. {Medellin El Colombiano (Internet Version-WWW) in Spanish -- pro-Conservative Party; leading Medellin daily}
(snip)

http://www.xignite.com/xworldnews.aspx?articleid=LAP20070110005001

[Judi Lynn]

4. It should be noted this scum may have been brought in for his connection to Chiquita, after all.

From the IHT article:

Veloza was captured on a ranch along with four men who were apparently his bodyguards, police said. Seized with them were six rifles, two pistols and about US$46,000 (€34,000) in Colombian pesos.

Before demobilizing, Veloza commanded some 1,000 fighters in the banana region and the Cauca Valley in Colombia's southwest.

Santos said that he was not aware of an extradition order for Veloza but that the government would be happy to extradite the militia boss to the United States to stand trial. He described Veloza as the right-hand man of Vicente Castano, Colombia's No. 1 fugitive paramilitary boss, who is wanted for extradition to the U.S.

The Calima bloc alone has been implicated in some 249 assassinations and 68 massacres in Valle del Cauca state in a nearly two-decade conflict, authorities say.

The Banana bloc, meanwhile, was active in a region where U.S.-based fruit giant Chiquita Brands recently acknowledged funneling US$1.7 million (€1.3 million) to paramilitaries between 1997 and 2004.

Chiquita has agreed to pay a fine of US$25 million (€19 million) in the case, but chief prosecutor Mario Iguaran has said he will demand the extradition of executives involved in payments to the paramilitaries.

Gen. Castro told reporters that prosecutors would investigate whether Veloza may have been benefited from the Chiquita payments.
(snip)