Nine miners from Antioquia were freed by police after 46 days in captivity in La Plata, Huila, held by FARC dissidents led by alias 'Breiner'. The captors demanded five billion pesos and subjected the victims to psychological torture with death threats and guns. The no-shots-fired rescue operation led to the arrest of four criminals.
The nine Antioquian miners arrived in La Plata on October 14, lured by the promise of a gold mine, but fell into a trap set by alias 'Breiner', finance chief of the 'Hernando González Acosta' front of 'Iván Mordisco' dissidents. After leaving their vehicles in a parking lot, they were approached, threatened with weapons, and taken to the San Miguel vereda, where they remained chained by feet and hands, blindfolded, and under constant intimidation.
During their 46-day captivity, the dissidents did not physically beat them but inflicted severe psychological torture. 'They constantly talked about death, even prepared the holes where they were going to bury us', recounted one of the kidnapped. Another, Olimpo Vázquez, described: 'From the second day, they started telling us we wouldn't leave alive unless we contributed five billion pesos'. Recordings with guns pointed at their heads were sent to families to pressure payment and prevent reports.
The families gathered 1.8 billion pesos, but the captors raised the demand to five billion per person. This broke the fear and prompted the report. The Huila Gaula Police, led by Major Óscar Rojas Varela, began the operation a month after the kidnapping, initially targeting alias 'Breiner' for a prior attack, but prioritized rescue upon confirming the location.
The operation ended without a single shot, freeing the miners from a 1.80 by 3-meter room where they slept chained. 'It was a very difficult experience... no one has the right to take away a human being's freedom', said Walter Rodríguez. The captured include Ricardo Alfonso Guainas Guachetá, alias 'Richar', and three accomplices. The rescued thanked the police forces for the impeccable coordination.