Fidel Castaño
Encyclopedia
Fidel Castaño Gil was a right-wing Colombia
n drug lord and paramilitary
who was among the founders of Los Pepes
and the Peasant Self-Defense Forces of Cordoba and Uraba
, a paramilitary group which ultimately became a member of the larger United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia
.
. At the same time, the Search Bloc
was hunting down Medellín Cartel cartel leader Pablo Escobar
. A vigilante
organization known as "People Persecuted by Pablo Escobar," or Los Pepes, began assassinating Escobar's associates and destroying his property. It also assisted the Search Bloc in their hunt for Escobar. Castaño was one of the founders of Los Pepes and worked with the Cali Cartel against Escobar. While Escobar genuinely persecuted many Colombians, Los Pepes were mostly cocaine
traffickers and manufacturers looking to benefit from Escobar's fall.
(FARC), and Castaño formed the paramilitary organization known as the Peasant Self-Defense Forces of Cordoba and Uraba or ACCU. The group killed members of the FARC, the National Liberation Army
, and the Popular Liberation Army
. It also killed a great many innocent civilians. In April 1997 the Colombian paramilitary organizations
coalesced to form the umbrella organization
known as the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia
, claimed that Fidel was killed by the FARC in 1994 and was secretly buried. While it is possible that Carlos was telling the truth, many believe that Fidel simply retired from the drug trafficking and paramilitarism. Adding to the mystery, Carlos himself later appeared to disappear under mysterious circumstances before his body was found and identified.
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
n drug lord and paramilitary
Paramilitary
A paramilitary is a force whose function and organization are similar to those of a professional military, but which is not considered part of a state's formal armed forces....
who was among the founders of Los Pepes
Los Pepes
Los Pepes , was a short-lived vigilante group composed of enemies of narcotics kingpin Pablo Escobar who waged a bloody war against Escobar and his associates in the early 1990s.-Name:While the name suggested that all, or most, members of Los Pepes were previously persecuted by...
and the Peasant Self-Defense Forces of Cordoba and Uraba
Peasant Self-Defense Forces of Córdoba and Urabá
Autodefensas Campesinas de Córdoba y Urabá , Spanish for Peasant Self-Defense Forces of Córdoba and Urabá, was a paramilitary group formed in northwestern Colombia, operating mainly in the Antioquia Department and Córdoba Department...
, a paramilitary group which ultimately became a member of the larger United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia
United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia
The United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia was created as an umbrella organization of regional far-right...
.
Los Pepes
In the early 1990s, the Cali Cartel waged a bloody war against the Medellín CartelMedellín Cartel
The Medellín Cartel was an organized network of "drug suppliers and smugglers" originating in the city of Medellín, Colombia. The drug cartel operated in Colombia, Bolivia, Peru, Central America, the United States, as well as Canada and Europe throughout the 1970s and 1980s. It was founded and...
. At the same time, the Search Bloc
Search Bloc
The Search Bloc was a Special Operations unit of the National Police of Colombia .-History:...
was hunting down Medellín Cartel cartel leader Pablo Escobar
Pablo Escobar
Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria was a Colombian drug lord. He was an elusive cocaine trafficker and rich and successful criminal. He owned numerous luxury residences, automobiles, and even airplanes...
. A vigilante
Vigilante
A vigilante is a private individual who legally or illegally punishes an alleged lawbreaker, or participates in a group which metes out extralegal punishment to an alleged lawbreaker....
organization known as "People Persecuted by Pablo Escobar," or Los Pepes, began assassinating Escobar's associates and destroying his property. It also assisted the Search Bloc in their hunt for Escobar. Castaño was one of the founders of Los Pepes and worked with the Cali Cartel against Escobar. While Escobar genuinely persecuted many Colombians, Los Pepes were mostly cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
traffickers and manufacturers looking to benefit from Escobar's fall.
Peasant Self-Defense Forces of Cordoba and Uraba
After Pablo Escobar was killed, Castaño turned his attention to the left-wing guerrillas in Colombia. Castaño's father had been killed by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of ColombiaRevolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People's Army is a Marxist–Leninist revolutionary guerrilla organization based in Colombia which is involved in the ongoing Colombian armed conflict, currently involved in drug dealing and crimes against the civilians..FARC-EP is a peasant army which...
(FARC), and Castaño formed the paramilitary organization known as the Peasant Self-Defense Forces of Cordoba and Uraba or ACCU. The group killed members of the FARC, the National Liberation Army
National Liberation Army (Colombia)
National Liberation Army is a revolutionary, avowed Marxist guerrilla group that has been operating in several regions of Colombia since 1964....
, and the Popular Liberation Army
Popular Liberation Army (Colombia)
The Popular Liberation Army, EPL , is a Colombian guerrilla group created in 1967. Most of its former members demobilized in 1991, forming the Esperanza, Paz y Libertad party, but a dissident faction continues operating.-Origins:The EPL was founded by the Communist Party of Colombia , PCC, a 1967...
. It also killed a great many innocent civilians. In April 1997 the Colombian paramilitary organizations
Paramilitarism in Colombia
Paramilitarism in Colombia refers to the origins and activities of far right-wing paramilitary groups in Colombia during the 20th century.Right-wing paramilitary groups are the parties considered to be most responsible for human rights violations in Colombia during the later half of the current...
coalesced to form the umbrella organization
Umbrella organization
An umbrella organization is an association of institutions, who work together formally to coordinate activities or pool resources. In business, political, or other environments, one group, the umbrella organization, provides resources and often an identity to the smaller organizations...
known as the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia
United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia
The United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia was created as an umbrella organization of regional far-right...
Disappearance
Castaño has not been seen since about 1994, and is widely presumed to be dead. His brother, CarlosCarlos Castaño
Carlos Castaño Gil was the founder of the Peasant Self-Defense Forces of Córdoba and Urabá , an extreme right paramilitary organization in Colombia...
, claimed that Fidel was killed by the FARC in 1994 and was secretly buried. While it is possible that Carlos was telling the truth, many believe that Fidel simply retired from the drug trafficking and paramilitarism. Adding to the mystery, Carlos himself later appeared to disappear under mysterious circumstances before his body was found and identified.