Nelson Rodríguez Arévalo (age and date of birth unknown) is a Colombian gang leader.
[Julián Sabogal (September 6, 2018)]
They captured the alleged serial killer who operated in the south of Bogotá
La FM
La FM is a Colombian news/talk/pop music radio station, founded in July 1996 by RCN Radio. Until the mid-2000s (decade), it was a news/talk/adult contemporary station.
In Bogotá, it replaced tropical station Rumba Estéreo in order to bring Ju ...
. Accessed June 3, 2020. (in Spanish) He was involved in the murder of approximately 20 people in the locality of
Ciudad Bolívar, Bogotá. Authorities believe he was involved in more murders, since he remained on the run for 13 years.
Known by the aliases El Viejo, El Paraco, El Cucho Jorge y Omar, Arévalo was considered a "criminal myth", one of the most wanted murderers in Bogotá.
[Cristian Sandoval (September 6, 2018)]
'El Viejo' falls, one of the most dangerous men in Bogotá
Canal 1
Canal 1 (; pronounced "Canal Uno" () is a Colombian state-owned television channel. It is owned by the Government of Colombia and managed by Phoenix Media, a private company. From 1957 to 2017, the channel was administered by private programming ...
. Accessed June 3, 2020. (in Spanish) He was captured by the Colombian authorities after the so-called 'Operation Fénix' was launched, the object of which was to dismantle various criminal enterprises.
Biography
He began his criminal lifestyle in 2006, after arriving in Bogotá from
Palocabildo,
Tolima.
['Nobody knew him, but they feared him.' This is how the terror of the micro-trafficker fell apart.](_blank)
'' El Tiempo''. Accessed June 3, 2020 (in Spanish) At that time, the
AUC were fighting with many outlaw groups. Although Rodríguez never belonged to such a group, he learned how they controlled the areas and sectors in which they presided. His turf was in Ciudad Bolívar, as well as some areas surrounding the municipality of
Soacha
Soacha is an autonomous municipality of the department of Cundinamarca in Colombia, and part of the Metropolitan Area of Bogotá. It has an important industrial zone and is home to mostly working-class families. Soacha borders Bojacá and Mosq ...
,
Cundinamarca. He formed a gang called 'La Banda del Cucho', demanding from his 13 accomplices photos of victims to verify their condition, as well as looking at newspaper publications and the specialized press. Little by little, he created a large network of drug dealers and hitmen, without the authorities even knowing about him. His criminal activities brought him large sums of money, as he came to receive $80,000,000
peso
The peso is the monetary unit of several Hispanophone, Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America, as well as the Philippines. Originating in the Spanish Empire, the word translates to "weight". In most countries of the Americas, the symbol com ...
s weekly.
[The chilling audio of Bogotá's worst hitman](_blank)
Revista ''Semana''. Accessed June 3, 2020. (in Spanish)
For the investigators, Rodríguez Arévalo was a "ghost" and "criminal myth" since no one knew his what he looked like. However, police continued to research nonetheless for several years, and in 2018, they tracked him down through a conversation he had with one of his henchmen. From this, authorities were able to establish who he was, and on July 20, the so-called 'Operation Fénix', whose main objective was the dismantling of criminal gangs and groups dedicated mainly to contract killings and micro-trafficking, was launched.
During the operation, he briefly managed to evade the police, hiding out in
Viotá
Viotá is a municipality and town of Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is borde ...
, but on September 6, he was located and captured in La Quiba.
References
External links
They captured 'El Viejo', alleged serial killer ''El Informador.''
* Óscar Murillo Mojica (September 6, 2018)
El hombre que había sembrado el terror en Ciudad Bolívar(The man who had sown terror in Ciudad Bolívar). ''El Tiempo''.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arévalo, Nelson Rodríguez
21st-century Colombian criminals
Colombian crime bosses
Colombian serial killers
Living people
People from Tolima Department
Year of birth missing (living people)
Year of birth unknown