Overview
- The tribunal, which issued the verdict Friday, sentenced Francisco “Fran” Riquelme and eleven co-defendants to prisión perpetua for running a violent narcotrafficking organization from custody.
- Judges found the group carried out murders, extortions and drug sales across Empalme Graneros, Ludueña and Industrial and linked the case to more than 30 killings in the wider territorial war.
- Prosecutors presented 42 acts of violence in the trial and used an extensive seven-month ballistic analysis to connect weapons and shell casings to multiple crimes.
- Three other accused received shorter prison terms for belonging to the association while several members were earlier convicted in plea deals, reflecting a wider dismantling of the network.
- The ruling highlights how prison-based command can sustain gang violence and could shape future efforts by courts and police to break the control that jailed leaders exert over street-level gangs.