Colombia kills ACSN second-in-command 'Cholo' in Magdalena operation

Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella confirmed Monday that José Luis Pérez Villanueva, alias Cholo or Comando 25, the second-in-command of the Autodefensas Conquistadoras de la Sierra Nevada (ACSN), was killed in a police operation in Magdalena. The operation involved the National Police's Anti-Narcotics Directorate (Dirán), the Attorney General's Office, and the Colombian Air Force.

According to the presidential tally, seven ACSN members died and three were captured during the raid. Authorities also seized ten rifles, including a Barrett .50 caliber, two grenade launchers, two pistols, and eight 40-millimeter grenades.

“Golpe contundente contra las Autodefensas Conquistadoras de la Sierra Nevada.”

Infobae reports the killing took place on September 21 in Quebrada del Sol, a rural area of Santa Marta. The outlet notes that Cholo's death follows the earlier killing of Naín Andrés Pérez Toncel, alias Bendito Menor, in Riohacha, La Guajira.

Fredy Castillo Carrillo, alias Pinocho, remains the top leader of the ACSN, also known as Los Pachenca. The group operates across Magdalena, La Guajira, and Cesar with an estimated 700 members. Police identified Cholo as the group's financier and a key coordinator of drug-trafficking routes to Central America.

Cholo had been arrested in December 2025 but was later released. The government says it will continue offensive operations targeting the organization's drug-trafficking, extortion, and territorial-control networks.