Rodrigo Tovar Pupo, (also known as Jorge 40, his
nom de guerre
A ''nom de guerre'' (, 'war name') is a pseudonym chosen by someone to use when they are involved in a particular activity, especially fighting in a war.
In Ancien régime, ''ancien régime'' Kingdom of France, France it would be adopted by each n ...
; born 19 November 1960) was born in
Valledupar
Valledupar () is a city and municipality in northeastern Colombia. It is the capital of Cesar Department. Its name, ''Valle de Upar'' (Valley of Upar), was established in honor of the Amerindian cacique who ruled the valley; ''Cacique Upar''. The ...
,
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 bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...
. He was the leader of the
Northern Bloc of the
United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia
The United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (''Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia'', or AUC, in Spanish) were a Colombian far-right paramilitary and drug trafficking group which was an active belligerent in the Colombian armed conflict during the ...
. He demobilized with his two thousand men strong group on March 10, 2006 in La Mesa,
Department of Cesar
Cesar Department (), or simply Cesar, () is a department of Colombia located in the north of the country in the Caribbean region, bordering to the north with the Department of La Guajira, to the west with the Department of Magdalena and Depar ...
.
A
laptop computer
A laptop computer or notebook computer, also known as a laptop or notebook, is a small, portable personal computer (PC). Laptops typically have a Clamshell design, clamshell form factor (design), form factor with a flat-panel computer scree ...
belonging to Tovar contained information on over 550 murders and started the 2006
Para-political scandal in which several congressmen have been indicted for corruption.
From cattle owner and farmer, member of Fenalce and Fedearroz and a public official, pass to command 4500 men of the Northern Bloc that dominate the territories of
Cesar Cesar or César may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''César'' (film), a 1936 French romantic drama
* ''César'' (play), a play by Marcel Pagnolt
Places
* Cesar, Portugal
* Cesar Department, Colombia
* Cesar River, in Colombia
* Cesar ...
,
La Guajira
La Guajira () is a departments of Colombia, department of Colombia. It occupies most of the Guajira Peninsula in the northeast region of the country, on the Caribbean Sea and bordering Venezuela, at the northernmost tip of South America. The ca ...
,
Magdalena,
Atlántico and part of both
Santander and
Norte de Santander Department
Norte de Santander (Spanish for Northern Santander) () is a departments of Colombia, department of northeastern Colombia. It is in the north of the country, bordering Venezuela. Its capital is Cúcuta, one of the country's major cities.
Norte ...
s.
"Just hearing his name instills fear in us", said a member of the
Kankuamos, a native community from the
Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta
The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (English: ''Snow-Covered Mountain Range of Saint Martha'') is an isolated mountain range in northern Colombia, separate from the Andes range that runs through the north of the country. Reaching an elevation of ...
who accused him of the assassination of more than 100 of their members.
He is also accused of covertly masterminding the repression of the ''Aseguradoras del Régimen Subsidiado de Salud'' (ARS) (Spanish for Health Subsidized Regime Insurance) in many municipalities in the
Caribbean Region as well as being the alleged ring leader of a loose confederation of drug traffickers operating in the eastern zone of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (a coastal mountain range in northern Colombia) and La Guajira (and adjacent region bordering Venezuela). Due to these activities the
United States Government
The Federal Government of the United States of America (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the Federation#Federal governments, national government of the United States.
The U.S. federal government is composed of three distinct ...
has asked for his extradition in order to bring him to an American court.
Jorge 40 was indicted for masterminding the massacre of over 60 natives from the aboriginal
Wayuu
The Wayuu (also Wayu, Wayú, Guajiro, Wahiro) are an Indigenous ethnic group of the Guajira Peninsula in northernmost Colombia and northwest Venezuela. The Wayuu language is part of the Arawakan language family. Throughout their history, they ...
and
Wiwa tribes in La Guajira and Magdalena provinces. They were allegedly executed by the Northern Bloc in 2004. Jorge 40 has also been connected to the death of 21 people in the municipality of
Aracataca
Aracataca (colloquially sometimes referred to as "Cataca") is a town and municipality located in the Department of Magdalena, in Colombia's Caribbean Region. Aracataca is a river town founded in 1885. The town stands beside a small river of t ...
better known by its fictional name 'Macondo' (Magdalena).
The
Organization of American States
The Organization of American States (OAS or OEA; ; ; ) is an international organization founded on 30 April 1948 to promote cooperation among its member states within the Americas.
Headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, the OAS is ...
(OAS) denounced Jorge 40's paramilitary activities after alleged collusion with local government forces in order to kill eight people in
Curumani, Cesar, accusing them of being informants of the
ELN guerrilla. The massacre occurred between December 4 and December 5, 2005.
Massacres
*
Bahía Portete massacre
*
Villanueva massacre
Extradition to the United States
In the early morning of May 13, 2008 'Jorge 40' and twelve other paramilitary leaders were taken from their jail cells in a surprise action by the Colombian government. According to Colombian Interior Minister
Carlos Holguin they have been refusing to comply to the country's Peace and Justice law and are therefore extradited to the United States.
The National Movement of State Crimes, a coalition of several victim organizations that have suffered from state or paramilitary violence, has asked "to return the paramilitary chiefs to the Colombian authorities so they may be processed by the ordinary justice system and not under the framework of the Law of Justice and Peace, since this framework benefits the victimizers and not the victims, since they have not told all of the truth, have not made comprehensive reparations to the victims, and have not dismantled their criminal structures."
[Extradition Cut Short](_blank)
‘’CCAJAR’’ May 27, 2008
The Office in Colombia of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights stated that "
..according to Colombian law, the reasons claimed by the President of the Republic to proceed with the previously-suspended extraditions are also grounds for their removal from the application of the ‘Law of Justice and Peace’ and for the loss of the benefits established therein".
The Inter-American Commission stated that this "affects the Colombian State's obligation to guarantee victims’ rights to truth, justice, and reparations for the crimes committed by the paramilitary groups. The extradition impedes the investigation and prosecution of such grave crimes through the avenues established by the Justice and Peace Law in Colombia and through the Colombian justice system's regular criminal procedures. It also closes the door to the possibility that victims can participate directly in the search for truth about crimes committed during the conflict, and limits access to reparations for damages that were caused. This action also interferes with efforts to determine links between agents of the State and these paramilitary leaders."
On August 18, 2020 Colombian radio station La W reported that Tovar Pupo will be released from the federal detention facility at Allenwood, PA and would likely be deported back to Colombia. According to the inmate locator feature for the Bureau of Prisons, Tovar Pupo’s release date was September 6, 2020 (inmate number 80517-004).
Return to Colombia and reimprisonment
On September 29, 2020, following his release from prison in the United States, Tovar Pupo returned to Colombia.
Upon arrival, he was immediately detained by authorities to face 1,486 investigative procedures.
At the time of the arrest, Tovar Pupo had 65 arrest warrants and 109 detention orders in Colombia.
See also
*
Carlos Castaño Gil
Carlos Castaño Gil (16 May 1965 – 16 April 2004) was a Colombian paramilitary leader who was a founder of the Peasant Self-Defenders of Córdoba and Urabá (ACCU), a far-right paramilitary organisation in Colombia and a former member of the ...
*
Salvatore Mancuso
Salvatore Mancuso Gómez, also known as "el Mono Mancuso", "Santander Lozada" or "Triple Cero" (i.e. "Triple Zero", or, "000"), among other names (born August 17, 1964 in Montería, Córdoba Department, Córdoba) is a Colombian people, Colombian ...
*
Colombian Armed Conflict
The Colombian conflict () began on May 27, 1964, and is a low-intensity asymmetric war between the government of Colombia, far-right paramilitary groups, crime syndicates and far-left guerrilla groups fighting each other to increase their i ...
Notes
References
Eltiempo.com - article on Rodrigo Tovar's surrender to colombian authorities*
ttps://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2004/41754.htm US Department of State report Special Report El Tiempo Newspaper of Colombia*
Colombian Air Force; Final report of the office of the attorney general reveals plan of Jorge 40 to take over the (Caribbean) Coast
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tovar Pupo, Rodrigo
1960 births
Living people
Members of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia
People from Valledupar
Colombian anti-communists
Colombian drug traffickers
Colombian people imprisoned abroad
Prisoners and detainees of the United States federal government
Colombian people convicted of murder
People convicted of murder by Colombia
People extradited from Colombia to the United States
2004 murders in Colombia