Ecuadorean security forces captured seven suspected FARC members in the border province of Sucumbios Monday.
Among those captured was Wilson Tapiero Tique, alias “Dumar” or “Trincho,” who Ecuadorean Army Colonel Arturo Coral called “a fundamental piece of Illegal armed groups of Colombia.”
Tique is wanted in Colombia on accusations of drug trafficking and terrorism, and is believed to be responsible for the finances of the FARC’s Southern Bloc and is the logistics chief for the FARC’s 48th Front which operates along the Colombia-Ecuador border.
The capture came after more than a year of joint work between Colombian and Ecuadorean intelligence agencies.
The arrest came two weeks after Ecuadorean President Raphael Correa promised to eliminate the FARC’s presence in his country, but also to respect Colombia’s sovereignty on the matter as much as possible.
“We will arrest them, we will not kill them. If self-defense is necessary, our soldiers will have to respond,” said Correa.
The seven suspected guerrillas will be delivered to Colombian authorities Tuesday.
