Known members of a notorious Medellin drug gang are among the 9 people killed south of the city, said police Monday.
Jorge Mario Marin, known as “El Morro”, said to have been a gang leader in the north east of Medellin and part of the “Oficina de Envigado” drug trafficking organisation, was among those killed in a holiday home massacre in the municipality of Evigado, say Medellin police.
Two other known Oficina de Envigado gunmen, Uran Hugo Fernando Mesa, alias “El Panadero”, thought to belong to the “La Teraza” gang, and Carlos Andres Gonzalez Hernandez, alias “El Mosco”, were also killed.
The police say they may have been killed as a result of infighting for leadership within the Oficina de Envigado. They believe that the murders took place in the early hours of the morning, possibly with silenced weapons. There was no firefight for the killers to gain access to the compound, the police told local media, leading them to believe the killers were known to the victims.
The owner of the property, who was also killed, is said to have been giving a party that night. It is believed some of the partygoers may have escaped the compound over a fence.
Police found at murder scene an AK47 rifle, an MP5 submachine gun, two pistols, one of them with explosive bullets, and two revolvers. Investigations are continuing.
The “Oficina de Envigado” began as an enforcement division for Pablo Escobar’s Medellin Cartel and later became associated with paramilitaries. It now includes separate and sometimes competing drug gangs. It has recently been challenged for dominance in the Medellin drug trade by other armed groups such as the Urabeños.
