La Oficina de Envigado
| Founded | Diego Murillo Bejarano |
|---|---|
| Founding location | Medellin, Colombia |
| Years active | 1993-2012 (semi-defunct) |
| Territory | Medellin, its area and all Antioquia Department |
| Ethnicity | Colombian |
| Criminal activities | Drug trafficking, extortion, murder, money laundering, terrorism, bootlegging and gun-running |
| Allies | Los Zetas, Los Rastrojos, Colombian parmilitary drug groups |
| Rivals | Los Urabeños |
La Oficina de Envigado (English: The Office of Envigado) is a drug cartel and criminal organization originally founded as an enforcement and collections arm of Pablo Escobar's Medellin Cartel.[1] It operates throughout Colombia, but mainly in the cities of Medellín and Envigado. It also controls extortion, gambling and money laundering businesses within the Valle de Aburra that surrounds Medellin. It positioned itself as the chief mediator and debt collector in drug trafficking disputes and maintaining major connections with the "paracos" (Colombian paramilitaries) and guerillas.[2]
History[edit]
Originally was founded as an enforcement wing for the Medellín Cartel by Diego Murillo Bejarano, aka Don Berna (an EPL guerrilla deserter). Murillo fell out with Escobar] and joined forces with Los Pepes to help oust him. The Office and its operations then began to get affiliated with the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia, and Murillo organised drug trafficking operations on their behalf. The Office also controlled a gang, La Terraza, one of the most feared gangs of hit men in the country.[3]
The Oficina has evolved into a sizable narco-trafficking operation from Medellín to the northern coast of Colombia and the Panamanian border area, drawing many of its leaders from former Colombian paramilitary blocs, while its lower ranks are filled with teenagers and young men from the poorer neighborhoods in the hills of Medellin, mainly in Robledo and Manrique, that moonlight as hit men and are willing to kill for as little as $25 USD.[4]
After the AUC demobilised in 2005, Murillo was arrested for the murder of a local politician, although he managed to run his empire from prison and made a deal with the authorities to use his power to keep violence to a minimum. In 2008, Murillo was extradited along with other paramilitary leaders, and the Oficina was hurt by infighting between rival factions led by Maximiliano Bonilla Orozco, alias Valenciano, and John Ericson Vargas Cardona, alias Sebastian, a native of Barrio Popular in Medellin, as well as conflict with the Los Urabeños. Vargas was arrested at his ranch in August 2012.[5]
Gang activities[edit]
As well as drugs, the Office also controls a number of casinos and gambling establishments, which it uses to launder money. The Office also has links with local authority figures and police officers, some of which moonlight as assassins. It has alliances with Los Rastrojos and Los Zetas in Mexico.[6]
References[edit]
- ^ "El rastro impune de la Oficina de Envigado". elespectador.com. El Espectador. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
- ^ 786. "Oficina de Envigado". Retrieved 16 December 2014.
- ^ Toby Muse in Medellín. "New drug gang wars blow Colombian city's revival apart". The Guardian.
- ^ 786. "Oficina de Envigado". Retrieved 16 December 2014.
- ^ "BBC News - Colombia drug lord 'Sebastián' arrested". Bbc.co.uk. 2012-08-08. Retrieved 2012-10-14.
- ^ "Oficina de Envigado". InSight Crime. Retrieved 2012-10-14.
