{"id":522052,"date":"2026-08-19T15:04:49","date_gmt":"2026-08-19T19:04:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/uncategorized\/colombian-army-used-36-soldiers-to-escort-alleged-drug-trafficker\/"},"modified":"2026-08-19T15:04:49","modified_gmt":"2026-08-19T19:04:49","slug":"colombian-army-used-36-soldiers-to-escort-alleged-drug-trafficker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/international\/colombian-army-used-36-soldiers-to-escort-alleged-drug-trafficker\/","title":{"rendered":"Colombian army used 36 soldiers to escort alleged drug trafficker"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Attorney General’s Office is investigating the Colombian Army<\/strong> for the release of an alleged drug trafficker captured with 4.5 kilos of coca base paste on January 31, 2024, in Cauca, in a procedure that was allegedly ordered by General Federico Mej\u00eda<\/a> and which now places the legality of the decision, the use of Army<\/strong> resources, and the responsibility of the chain of command under scrutiny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The investigation also reviews the cost of the operation: the aerial mobilization to return the detainee to the place of his capture reportedly exceeded $100,000,000, according to calculations cited in the complaint.<\/strong> The case, exposed by Semana<\/em>, occurred in the El Diamante rural area during a military operation in El Plateado.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You might be interested in:<\/strong> Colombia confirms 312 victims of the earthquake<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the reconstruction of the case, Melciades Guaca Armero<\/strong> was intercepted by an Army<\/strong> unit conducting anti-narcotics operations in Cauca. The soldiers found 4.5 kilos of coca base paste in the luggage of the man, who was traveling by motorcycle. After informing the Prosecutor’s Office, reading him his rights, and transporting him by helicopter to Popay\u00e1n for his prosecution, the uniformed officers allegedly received the order to release him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the information gathered by the Prosecutor’s Office, that instruction was allegedly issued by General Federico Mej\u00eda<\/strong>, who at that time was the commander of the Specific Command of Cauca. The Army<\/strong> was called into question for the decision to release the detainee and return him, along with the seized drugs, to the place where he had been intercepted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Administrative Tribunal of Cauca ordered the National Army of Colombia<\/strong> to provide the media outlet with information related to the case, after considering that the institution did not adequately justify the confidentiality with which it had classified the requested documents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In its decision, the court established that the Army<\/strong> failed to demonstrate the existence of present, probable, and specific harm that would justify keeping the information classified. Therefore, it determined that it was public information that could be accessed by the journalist investigating the case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The documentation also reveals that 36 members of the Army<\/strong> participated in the procedure, including three officers: a colonel, a lieutenant colonel, and a major. The number of military personnel involved has raised questions about the use of the institution’s resources and personnel in an operation related to the release of the alleged drug trafficker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The file also mentions General Federico Mej\u00eda, the current head of Education and Doctrine of the Army<\/strong>. According to the cited documents, the high-ranking military official allegedly acknowledged through signed writings that he ordered the release of the man captured during an anti-drug trafficking operation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The investigation also seeks to determine whether the Army’s<\/strong> actions complied with the established procedures for the capture and prosecution of individuals found with illicit substances. The court’s decision allowed for the disclosure of details that had remained confidential and are now part of the authorities’ analysis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For this case and other events, General Mej\u00eda faces inquiries at the Delegated Prosecutor’s Office before the Supreme Court of Justice<\/strong> for crimes that, according to the file, include conspiracy to commit a crime, embezzlement by official application, and abuse of public office. The investigation must establish the circumstances under which the release occurred and the individual responsibilities within the Army<\/strong> chain of command.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The versions regarding the alleged uprising clash with the Army’s testimonies<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The central explanation of the case is a dispute over the risk that existed at the location. General Federico Mej\u00eda communicated to his superiors that the order sought to prevent a riot, that is, a violent reaction from the community following the capture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soldiers who participated in the operation testified before the Prosecutor’s Office that the situation was under control and that there was no immediate threat of civil violence. According to the versions cited by the media, part of the population had already withdrawn after talking with the uniformed officers.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his response to the magazine, Mej\u00eda denied having given the instruction: \u201cAt no time did I order the release of any person, among other reasons because I did not hold direct functional competence over the procedure.\u201d The publication, however, reported that it accessed a document signed by the general and addressed to the then-commander of the Army, Emilio Cardozo, in which the order is acknowledged and details of the release are described.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Prosecutor’s Office seeks to establish whether the threat was real, whether the military reaction was proportional, and who knew about, endorsed, or tolerated the decision. Among the high-ranking officials who, according to investigations, were aware of what happened are General Helder Giraldo of the Military Forces, Mauricio Ospina, and Cardozo himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The file also examines the disciplinary response, or the lack thereof, within the military structure. Prosecutors have already questioned operational and superior officers to determine the level of responsibility of Mej\u00eda and his chain of command.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The case became more sensitive because, in addition to this investigation, Mej\u00eda was facing another inquiry for conspiracy to commit a crime<\/strong>. Upon presenting his version, the general defended the actions of the Specific Command of Cauca and maintained that they acted in accordance with operational responsibilities after assessing the risks of the region.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Attorney General’s Office is investigating the Colombian Army for the release of an alleged drug trafficker captured with 4.5 kilos of coca base paste on January 31, 2024, in Cauca, in a procedure that was allegedly ordered by General Federico Mej\u00eda and which now places the legality of the decision, the use of Army […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":522053,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[95],"tags":[40761,13631],"class_list":["post-522052","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-international","tag-army","tag-colombia"],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/phj1q1-2bOc","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/KYPODNBZEVCZHBHH2M5575HIJI.avif","dum_api":{"author_name":"Redacci\u00f3n De \u00daltimo Minuto","author_image":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/cropped-logo-de-ultimo-minuto-96x96.png","categories_name":["International"],"featured_media_url":"https:\/\/cdn.deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/KYPODNBZEVCZHBHH2M5575HIJI.avif"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/522052","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=522052"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/522052\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/522053"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=522052"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=522052"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=522052"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}