On the afternoon of Saturday 29 November, the attack on a Caracas jewelry store in the Cuarta Itapa Shopping Center in Bucaramanga sparked a violent armed confrontation that resulted in the death of Mayor Freddy Francisco Leal Briceno, of the Bucaramanga City Police, as well as the arrest of five people and the death of an alleged criminal.
During the indictment session, the Public Prosecution presented details of the assault to the judge. Reconstructing the sequence of events that included the five detainees.
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The investigation body brought charges against the five detainees –Adrián Ester Gonzalez Garavito, Antonio José Felipe Lanchez, Karina Michels Criado Pumarejo, Johnny José Rodríguez Castillo, Orlando José Cabrera Méndez — Who organized the coup from the first hours.
The Public Prosecutor explained that those arrested are charged with premeditated murder, attempted qualified and aggravated robbery, and illegal possession of firearms.
According to the Attorney General’s Office, since the early hours of the morning, Gonzalez Garavito and Lanchez were present at the shopping center for… Monitor the environment and determine the appropriate time to enter the building. They both remained alert in front of the institution, and their mission was to warn of any security movement.
At approximately 2:45 p.m., Criado Pomarejo and Rodriguez Castillo, followed later by Cabrera Mendez, entered the jewelry store pretending to be customers. Once inside, They extracted firearms, intimidated employees and began stealing jewelry worth P900 million.Which they kept in bags while moving shelves to access more merchandise.
The authorities had already expected the attack due to classified information. Sijín agents were waiting at the building’s doors, who responded immediately when the attackers tried to leave.
The resulting armed confrontation had disastrous consequences: one of the alleged criminals died at the scene, and Mayor Freddy Francisco Leal Briceno was shot, causing, according to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, his death. “Serious internal injuries to the chest, lung and vertebrae”Which caused his death shortly after.
The prosecutor in this case explained that the crime of murder is charged in an aggravated manner, with three particularly serious circumstances: its commission to facilitate another crime, execution with a firearm, and the presence of a member of the public force in his position as a victim. “For this crime alone, the penalty could range between 500 and 700 months in prison.”The prosecutor stressed.
Added to these charges are attempted qualified and aggravated robbery, where the attackers were unable to escape with the jewelry, and unlawful possession of weapons, the penalty of which can be doubled because it was committed in criminal association. The Public Prosecutor’s Office indicated that those involved acted with direct intent, that is, with full awareness and readiness to carry out the robbery and use weapons, even against the lives of police officers.
During the session, the five detainees listened to the accusation without interfering, while the office emphasized the public nature of the operation. None of the defendants accepted the charges against them, and a new hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, December 3, where the security measure for each of those involved in the robbery will be determined. The detainees will remain deprived of their liberty while the judicial process progresses.
Victor Manuel Martinez Suarez’s career ended after his plane was shot down, ending the chapter of one of the Caribbean’s most wanted criminals. Authorities consider him the leader of the Los Costinos criminal gang, and his criminal record extends throughout Barranquilla and several surrounding municipalities.His name appeared in high-profile police investigations.
In August 2024, Martínez Suárez was arrested by police in Soledad (Atlántico), in the company of members of the Los Flamingos gang, after an attack on a commercial building. The district attorney’s office charged him with attempted aggravated robbery and illegal weapons possession, though he was released in less than a year.