Colombia Pachenca Leader Killed, and the Funerals Follow
COLOMBIA · SECURITY
Key Facts
- —What happened Police killed the ACSN leader alias Bendito Menor and his partner alias La Bebecita in one operation.
- —When and where Early on Friday 4 September 2026, in the Los Olivos district near Riohacha airport in La Guajira.
- —The catch They died in the same raid, not in two separate incidents as some accounts have suggested.
- —The names Reported as Nain Andres Perez Toncel, about 26, and Rosa Angelica Tarazona Tarazona, 20.
- —The group The Autodefensas Conquistadoras de la Sierra Nevada, still widely known as Los Pachenca.
- —The funerals His was in Riohacha on 5 September, hers a large caravan in rural Santa Marta on 6 September.
The Colombia Pachenca structure lost its leader and his partner in the same raid. Two funerals followed in two cities, and the second drew a crowd.
Colombian police killed the leader of a Caribbean armed group and his partner in a single operation last week. The Colombia Pachenca structure now has a vacancy at the top.
The raid took place early on Friday 4 September in the Los Olivos district, near the airport in Riohacha, La Guajira.
The man was alias Bendito Menor, reported as Nain Andres Perez Toncel and around 26 years old. His partner was alias La Bebecita, reported as Rosa Angelica Tarazona Tarazona, 20.
Two of his bodyguards were also killed. Some accounts put the number of other members who died at three.
One Operation, Not Two
Several accounts have circulated suggesting the two were killed separately, days apart. That is not what the Colombian reporting says.
El Colombiano, El Heraldo, Infobae and Vanguardia all place both deaths in the same raid on 4 September. The confusion appears to come from the funerals rather than the killings.
His body was returned to relatives in Riohacha and buried there on 5 September. Hers was buried the following day, in a different department.
That is two funerals, two cities and two dates. It is not two operations.
What the Colombia Pachenca Group Is
The Autodefensas Conquistadoras de la Sierra Nevada emerged from the remnants of paramilitary structures on Colombia’s Caribbean coast. It is still widely called Los Pachenca.
It operates mainly in La Guajira and the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. The territory covers coastal trafficking routes and the corridors inland.
El Tiempo describes the killing as opening a power vacuum in La Guajira. Successions inside these structures are rarely orderly.
The Detail That Complicates It
Tarazona had been captured in September 2025 and was not in hiding. Semana reports she had reached a pre-agreement with prosecutors.
That deal carried three years for aggravated conspiracy, with sentencing set for 5 October. She had appeared at a hearing hours before she died.
Semana also reports she removed her electronic ankle monitor before the operation. That detail comes from one outlet and has not been confirmed elsewhere.
The Funeral in Santa Marta
A large funeral caravan for Tarazona ran on 6 September through Guacharacas, a rural district of Santa Marta in Magdalena.
The coffin was carried through the main streets, with corridos played along the route and at the cemetery gate. Burial was at the Puerto Nuevo cemetery.
Infobae and El Pais of Cali both reported the scale of it. Public mourning on that scale for a figure linked to an armed group is itself a statement about local reach.
What to Watch
The first marker is who takes over the ACSN. A contested succession usually raises violence rather than lowering it.
The second is whether the operation was part of a wider offensive. President Abelardo De la Espriella said more than twenty members of armed groups had been neutralised in recent weeks.
The third is La Guajira itself. A vacuum on a trafficking corridor tends to be filled quickly and competitively.
More: Colombia news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
Were they killed in the same operation?
Yes. Colombian outlets including El Colombiano, El Heraldo, Infobae and Vanguardia place both deaths in one police operation early on Friday 4 September 2026 near Riohacha airport in La Guajira.
Who were they?
Alias Bendito Menor, reported as Nain Andres Perez Toncel, led the Autodefensas Conquistadoras de la Sierra Nevada, known as Los Pachenca. Alias La Bebecita, reported as Rosa Angelica Tarazona Tarazona, was his partner.
Why were there two funerals?
Because they were buried in different places. His was held in Riohacha on 5 September, hers in a large caravan through Guacharacas in rural Santa Marta on 6 September.
Sources: El Colombiano, El Heraldo, Infobae, Semana, El Tiempo, Vanguardia, Rio Times.
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