Henry Loaiza Ceballos aka El Alacrán (The

Scorpion Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the order Scorpiones. They have eight legs, and are easily recognized by a pair of grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back and always end ...

) is a former

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

drug trafficker The illegal drug trade or drug trafficking is a global black market dedicated to the cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of prohibited drugs. Most jurisdictions prohibit trade, except under license, of many types of drugs through ...

and a member of the

Cali Cartel The Cali Cartel ( es, Cartel de Cali) was a drug cartel based in southern Colombia, around the city of Cali and the Valle del Cauca. Its founders were the brothers Gilberto Rodríguez Orejuela and Miguel Rodríguez Orejuela. They broke away fr ...

. Loaiza was mainly in charge of the military apparatus of the organization, but was also involved in the shipment of illegal drugs. Loaiza got involved in criminal activities in the 1980s, after moving to the

Putumayo Department Putumayo () is a department of Southern Colombia. It is in the south-west of the country, bordering Ecuador and Peru. Its capital is Mocoa. The word ''putumayo'' comes from the Quechua languages. The verb ''p'utuy'' means "to spring forth" ...

, and getting involved in drug trafficking. By the end of the 1980s, and having attained some power and money and becoming infamous for his cruelty, he joined the

Norte del Valle Cartel The Norte del Valle Cartel ( es, Cártel del Norte del Valle), or North Valley Cartel, was a drug cartel that operated principally in the north of the Valle del Cauca department of Colombia, most notably the coastal city of Buenaventura. It ros ...

, eventually becoming one of its leaders. As the Cartel was involved in a conflict over territory with the ELN guerrilla, Loaiza led a bloody campaign in the cities of Trujillo, Bolívar, and Riofrío that would last for 6 years causing many deaths in what is called the

Massacre of Trujillo The Massacre of Trujillo ( es, Masacre de Trujillo) was a series of murders perpetrated between 1988 and 1994 in the town of Trujillo, Valle del Cauca Department in southwestern Colombia by paramilitaries and the Cali Cartel with the complicity ...

. Loaiza, coordinated the drug trafficking network in Trujillo, and was also infamous as a vicious torturer. Under increasing pressure from law enforcement agencies, he surrendered to Colombian authorities on June 19, 1995. He was condemned as the author of 43 homicides y 22 kidnappings, and sentenced to 22 years in prison. He always denied his part in the massacre of Trujillo and declared to be "unjustly accused." On August 4, 2006, a higher court in the city of

Ibagué Ibagué () (referred to as San Bonifacio de Ibagué del Valle de las Lanzas during the Spanish period) is the capital of Tolima, one of the 32 departments that make up the Republic of Colombia. The city is located in the center of the country, ...

attempted to release Loaiza after serving 11 of his 18-years' sentence to prison for creating illegal

paramilitary groups A paramilitary is an organization whose structure, tactics, training, subculture, and (often) function are similar to those of a professional military, but is not part of a country's official or legitimate armed forces. Paramilitary units carr ...

in the Departments of Valle del Cauca and Tolima. The National Penitentiary and Prison Institute, (INPEC) requested the Attorney General's office and the DAS Security Service to inform them of whether Loaiza had any other judicial processes against him. A local attorney pertaining to the Life and Personal Integrity Unit in Ibagué requested a warrant once again against Loaiza for homicide, production, traffic and possession of illegal weapons and munition. Loaiza was accused of participating in the murder of former Colombian Army captain Ignasio Luis Arteaga on April 28, 2004, in Ibagué. Captain Arteaga was the security chief of a local company called ''Cooperative SERVIARROZ''. Loaiza served his sentence in a prison in central Colombia located in the town of

Cómbita Cómbita is a town and municipality in the Colombian Departments of Colombia, Department of Boyacá Department, Boyacá, part of the sub region of the Central Boyacá Province. Cómbita is situated on the Altiplano Cundiboyacense and borders Arcab ...

, Boyacá. On December 19, 2006, Loaiza was again accused by Colombian authorities of being responsible for the homicide of more than 100 persons, after allegedly co-authoring the

in the southern town of Trujillo, Valle del Cauca Department in order to benefit the Cali cartel and his shipments of drugs. Most of the bodies were thrown into the waters of the

Cauca River The Cauca River () is a river in Colombia that lies between the Occidental and Central cordilleras. From its headwaters in southwestern Colombia near the city of Popayán, it joins the Magdalena River near Magangue in Bolivar Department, and th ...

. After spending 22 years in prison, Loaiza was released in January 2017. Loaiza moved to the town of

Puerto Asís Puerto Asís () is a Colombian city in Putumayo Department. It is located on the west bank of the Putumayo River, downstream from the mouth of the Guamués River, south of (Cardinal) Mocoa. Bordering Ecuador, Puerto Asís is one of the departme ...

, where he declared himself a

born-again Christian Born again, or to experience the new birth, is a phrase, particularly in evangelicalism, that refers to a "spiritual rebirth", or a regeneration of the human spirit. In contrast to one's physical birth, being "born again" is distinctly and sepa ...

and attempted to create a church, and build a Christian radio station. This low profile, however, was accompanied by frequent visits by unknown individuals in luxurious motorcycles and cars, which called the attention of police officers. According to the authorities, immediately after being released he began attempting to regain control of his illicit affairs along with a dangerous criminal network known as ‘la Constru,’ involved in illicit drug traffic in the department of Putumayo, and infamous for their use of blackmail, torture, murders, and dismemberment. Loaiza was arrested in the town of

along with 14 members of the organization on June 26, 2019.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Loaiza-Ceballos, Henry Cali Cartel traffickers Colombian drug traffickers Colombian prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by Colombia Colombian people convicted of murder People convicted of murder by Colombia Year of birth missing (living people) Living people