Colombian authorities have launched a major manhunt for Fredy Castillo Carrillo, known as “Pinocho,” the top commander of the Conquering Self-Defense Forces of the Sierra Nevada, a paramilitary group better known as “los Pachenca.” President Abelardo De La Espriella publicly warned the fugitive over the weekend, saying security forces were “breathing down his neck” and that he wouldn’t be able to escape through the La Guajira region or across the border into Venezuela.
According to reporting by El Tiempo, an elite unit backed by U.S. intelligence has been operating along Colombia’s Caribbean coast for about a week. More than 1,000 police officers and soldiers are involved in search operations, territorial control, and intelligence gathering aimed at cutting off the routes Pinocho might use to flee. Authorities have also offered a reward of up to 3 billion Colombian pesos (roughly $700,000 USD) for information leading to his capture.
Alongside Pinocho, security forces are also targeting two other key figures in the group: Orlando Pérez Ortega, alias “Patilizo,” and a man known as “Santiago” or “Comando 77.” The operation gained momentum after the arrest of Yolima Murgas, identified as Pinocho’s partner, along with several other suspects. That raid reportedly turned up credit cards and other evidence—including one card allegedly belonging to Pinocho himself—now feeding into the broader investigation across Colombia’s Caribbean departments.
Want the full details on this operation? Check out the original report from El Tiempo.
Source: Los movimientos con los que se cierra el cerco contra ‘Pinocho’ en el Caribe y la frontera con Venezuela (eltiempo.com).
Image: Defence Images, BY-SA 2.0 (via Openverse).