Eight members of Colombia’s largest cartel have died in clashes with security forces, the army said Tuesday, the latest in a series of raids against one of Latin America’s most powerful criminal groups.
Days after the death of a top Gulf Clan capo, the military said it had killed several more of the cartel’s members and taken two captive during an operation in the country’s northwest. In a social media post, the army said it had also seized “abundant war material and supplies.”
The Gulf Clan was born from right-wing paramilitary groups that fought leftist guerrillas in the 1990s — before turning their attention to the cocaine trade.
They are now a criminal powerhouse making money from drug trafficking, illegal gold mining, racketeering and migrant smuggling across the northern border with Panama.
The cartel is believed to number between 6,000 and 9,000 members, according to government estimates.
Since peace efforts stalled, Colombia’s government has launched a series of attacks on the group.
The Gulf Clan is one of several cartels recently designated as foreign terrorist groups by the United States. In 2022, the Gulf Clan shut down dozens of towns in northern Colombia for four days in reaction to its leader being extradited to the U.S. for trial.
On Saturday, the police and the DEA killed alias “Chirimoya,” one of the cartel’s five commanders.
Late last month, air strikes killed nine alleged cartel members.