UNCLASSIFIED CONFIDENTIAL RELEASED IN PART B1 1 4 D ' D-2 -t CDs PAACZYUW RUEHBOA1925 0822136-CCCC--RHEFLGX ZNY CCCCC ZOC STATE ZZH MSI7824 PP RUEHC DTG 232136Z MAR 07 FROM FM AMEMBASSY BOGOTA CONTROLS CONFIDENTIAL BOGOTA001925 SIPDIS E O 12958 DECL 03 22 2017 THIS 1S A COMBINED MESSAGE BODY • TAGS PTER KCRM PGOV PHUM CO SUBJECT NEW CRIMINAL GROUPS REMAIN DECENTRALIZED BUT GOC OFFICIALS CONCERNED VICENTE CASTANO TRYING TO RECREATE AUC NETWORK CLASSIFIED BY POLITICAL COUNSELOR JOHN S CREAMER REASON 1 4 B D SUMMARY 1 C THE SIZE AND SCOPE OF THE NEW CRIMINAL GROUPS REMAINED RELATIVELY CONSTANT IN RECENT MONTHS WITH SOME 22 GROUPS COMPRISING ABOUT 3 000 PEOPLE THE GROUPS REMAIN LARGELY DECENTRALIZED AND FORMER AUC LEADERS IN ITAGUI MAXIMUM SECURITY PRISON--WITH THE EXCEPTION OF MACACO AND DON BERNA--ARE INCREASINGLY LOSING INFLUENCE OVER THE BANDS -------STILL COLOMBIAN NATIONAL POLICE CHURCH AND 5A561 FIAS FEAR RENEGADE PARAMILITARY LEADER VICENTE CASTANO IS SEEKING Bl TO ALLY WITH MACACO AND DON BERNA TO FASHION THE DISPARATE CRIMINAL GROUPS INTO A NATIONAL NETWORK ALONG THE LINES OF ---------------THE OLD AUC NATIONAL POLICE INTELLIGENCE CHIEF GENERAL B1 JO AR NARANTOLD US CASTANO ENJOYS SIGNIFICANT COLLABORATION FROM ELEMENTS OF THE POLICE AND MILITARY BUT SAID THE GOC IS SLOWLY CLOSING IN END SUMMARY NEW CRIMINAL GROUPS STILL RELATIVELY SMALL DECENTRALIZED --------------------------------------------------------i UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE REVIEW AUTHORITY OSCAR J OLSON DATEXASE ID 29 FEB 2012 201107513 CONFIDENTIAL ° ' page 99 UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED CONFIDENTIAL 2 C RURAL SECURITY POLICE CARABINEROS CHIEI GENERAL__J JESUS ANTONIO GOMEZ MENDEZ TOLD USJQN MARCH 7 THE NUMBER OF- NEW CRIMINAL GROUPS REMAINS CONSTANT AT ABOUT 22 GROUPS COMPRISING SOME 3 000 PEOPLE A SMALL PERCENTAGE OF WHOM ARE FORMER PARAMILITARIES ' GOMI NENi3_Z ESTIMATE TRACKS THAT MADE BY O AStMA P EXPERTS AND GOC SECURITY ANALYSTS HE B1 REPORTED THE GROUPS ARE STILL LARGELY DECENTRALIZED LACKING THE NATIONAL SCOPE AMBITION OR CAPACITY TO CAUSE HARM OF THE FORMER AUC THEY ARE INVOLVED IN NARCOTICS TRAFFICKING AND OTHER ILLEGAL ENTERPRISES WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE NEW GENERATION GROUP IN NARINO ALMOST NONE ENGAGE IN THE COUNTERINSURGENCY ACTIVITIES UNDERTAKEN BY THE AUC 3 C NATIONAL RECONCILIATION AND REPARATIONS COMMISSION CNRR ANALYST MAURICIO ROMERO SAID HE EXPECTS TO PUBLISH HIS FIRST QUARTERLY CNRR REPORT ON NEW CRIMINAL GROUPS AND THE DEMOBILIZATION PROCESS BY EARLY APRIL HE WILL DRAW I FAVORABLE COMPARISONS WITH OTHER PEACE PROCESSES WORLDWIDE WHERE THE AVERAGE REARMAMENT AND RECIDIVISM RATE WAS BETWEEN 5 AND 15 PERCENT IN COLOMBIA OVER 90 PERCENT OF THE DEMOBILIZED ARE ATTEMPTING TO REINTEGRATE ' ROMERO SAID CRITICISM OF THE PARAMILITARY DEMOBILIZATION PROCESS AS A FAILURE IS INACCURATE COLOMBIA IS DOING BETTER THAN MOST SUCH PROCESSES IN PREVENTING RECIDIVISM I CONCERN OVER CASTANO'S NATIONAL AMBITIONS 4 - C ' ATIONAL CONCILIATION COMMIS IO M BE F ECHEVERRI SAID PARAMILITARY FUGITIVE VICENTE CASTANO IS ' TRYING TO RECREATE A NATIONAL PARAMILITARY-STYLE MOVEMENT APPARENTLY SEEKING THE COOPERATION OF DON BERNA AND FORMER BOLIVAR CENTRAL BLOCK BCB LEADER MACACO THERE APPEARS TO BE LIMITED BUT UNEASY COLLABORATION BETWEEN THEM B1 CASTANO'S CURRENT AREA OF OPERATIONS CENTERS ON'URABA CORDOBA AND ANTIOQUTA HE IS ALSO TRYING TO EXTEND HIS INFLUENCE TO VICHADA AND CASANARE WHERE HE WORKS WITH FELLOW FORMER PARAMILITARY LEADER HH EVER VELOZA GARCIA NARANdO Tt% LD IS CASTANO RECENTLY TRAVELED BY HELICOPTER TO YOPAL CASANARE WHERE HE ENCOURAGED LOCAL RANCHERS AND CRIMINAL GROUPS TO SUPPORT A NEW PARAMILITARY STRUCTURE GOMEZ MENDEZ SIB- 0-WEI7 US-A7MkNSCRIFT OT-A TELI PI IONE-INTER IN WHICH CASTANO TOLD HH HE ENVISAGED THE OPERATION WORKING LIKE THE FORMER AUC WITH A CLEAR SECURITY ECONOMIC AND CONFIDENTIAL UNCLAS S IFIED page 100 CLASSIFIED CONFIDENTIAL POLITICAL STRATEGY INCLUDING 'CO-OPTING POLITICIANS RUNNING FOR OFFICE IN THE OCTOBER LOCAL ELECTIONS N''RANJ AI CASTANO ALSO REPORTEDLY REACHED OUT TO THE FARO IN CASANARE ------ B1 TO EXPLORE COOPERATION ON NARCOTRAFFICKING 5 C ROIVIERO SA THE FORMER PARAMILITARY-LEADERS IN ITAGUI REGARD THE DEMOBILIZATION EFFORT AS A MISSED OPP ORTUNITY _ LARGELY BECAUSE IT HAS BEEN LEGALIZED bK''JUDICIALIZED B 1 _ THEY SEE NO FLEXIBILITY ON PRESIDENT URIBE'S' PART TO ALLOW SOME FORMER AUC TO PLAY A POLITICAL ROLE LIKE THE FORMER LEFTIST TERRORISTS WHO ARE ACTIVE IN CONGRESS THEY ALSO COMPLAINED ABOUT THE GOC'S ACCEPTANCE OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT'S MAY 19 RULING HARDENING THE JUSTICE AND PEACE LAW START OF SECTION 2 SIPDIS E O 12958 DECL 03 22 2017 TAGS PTER KCRM PGOV PHUM CO SUBJECT NEW CRIMINAL GROUPS REMAIN DECENTRALIZED BUT GOC OFFICIALS CONCERNED VICENTE CASTANO TRYING TO RECREATE AUC NETWORK THE LEADERS SAID THE GOC'S TOUGH APPROACH GIVES THE APPROXIMATELY 1500 AUC COMMANDERS WHO REMAIN AT LARGE LITTLE INCENTIVE TO RETURN TO LEGALITY AND HAD PROMPTED VICENTE CASTANO AND OTHER FORMER PARAMILITARY COMMANDERS TO ABANDON THE PROCESS THEY INSISTED THEY HAVE NO CONTROL OVER THEIR ' FORMER FOOT SOLDIERS BUT TO D RGM00 #EY-EXkC-T- MORE_FORMER- - - _ - - - - - - - PARAMILITARIES TO RETURN TO CRIME - N14APP O B1 CARAMGANA SAID MANY PARA LEADERS EXPECTED TO RETAIN THEIR WEALTH AND POWER THROUGH THE PEACE PROCESS THEIR REALIZATION THAT THIS WILL NOT BE POSSIBLE HAS LED MANY TO ACCUSE THE GOC' OF BETRAYAL ---------------------------------- SOME ITAGUI PRISONERS APPEAR DEFEATED ---------------------------------- 6 C SROO EMR SSAID lTAGI J-I PRISONERS JORGE 40 AND MANCUSO IN PARTICULAR SEEM WEAK DISORGaANIZED AND MARGINALIZED GIVING THE IMPRESSION OF HAVING BEEN DEFEATED DESPITE ACCEI TOCELL PHONES INTERNET AND REGULAR VISITORS THEY APPEAR INCREASINGLY MARGINALIZED FROM OTHER FORMER PARAMILITARY LEADERS MANCUSO IS ESPECIALLY FRUSTRATED FOLLOWING GOC EFFORTS TO SEIZE PROPERTIES HELD BY HIS FAMILY MEMBERS IN CONTRAST MACACO AND OTHER BCB MEMBERS REMAIN_BELLIGERENT AND ' COMMITTED TO ANTI-SUBVERSIVE RHETORIC MACACO' CONFIDENTIAL UNCLASSIFIED page 101 B1 UN 4 CLASSIFIED CONFIDENTIAL 14 - MANAGES MUCH OF MAJOR NARCOTRAFFICKER WILBER VARELA'S -- - --CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES FROM ITAGUI I ON BERN - - - - RETAINS LINKS WITH ILLEGAL ACTORS BUT IS ALSO WORKING ON A HUMANITARIAN EXCHANGE AS WELL AS WITH A NON-GOVERNMENTAL ____ B1 ORGANIZATION IN MEDELLIN TO REINTRODUCE A POLITICAL COMPONENT-TO TH15TARAMILITARY PEACE-PROCESS --------------- - ------ - --- - - -- - ------ ------ - ETTINGCLOSER TO_CASTANO B1 ---------------------------------------------------- 7 QNATIO XII POLICE IN-TELL OSCAR NARANJQ TOLD US°QN MARCH 14 THE GOC IS SLOWLY CLOSINGIN ON CASTANO IN PART WITH THE HELP OF DETAINED NARCOTRAFFICKER RASGUNO RECENTLY EXTRADITED FROM CUBA B1 ALTAIC EVERY DAY TO DEMAND PROGRESS IN THE SEARCH 1VARANJC $AITHE MAIN OBSTACLE THUS FAR IS THAT CASTANO STILL ENJOYS SIGNIFICANT'COLLABORATION FROM ELEMENTS IN THE POLICE AND MILITARY HE PREDICTED THE GOC WOULD CAPTURE CASTANO MOST LIKELY IV• AN TIOQUTA DEPARTMENT DRUCKERADMIN BT #1925 81 AE NNNN I CONFIDENTIAL UNCLASSIFIED page 102