The president of Colombia, Abelardo de la Espriella, has confirmed this Friday the death of Naín Andrés Pérez Toncel, alias 'Naín' or 'Bendito Menor', the highest responsible of the narco-paramilitary group Autodefensas Conquistadoras de la Sierra Nevada (ACSN), after a joint operation of the National Police and the Directorate of Criminal Investigation and Interpol (DIJIN) carried out in the department of La Guajira.
"Thanks to an impeccable operation carried out by our National Police by a special command of the DIJIN, one of the most dangerous criminals in our country, alias 'Naín' or 'Bendito Menor', was taken down," explained the Colombian president alongside the military leadership in a video published on social media.
De la Espriella has emphasized that this "terrorist," who kept La Guajira and the Colombian Caribbean under threat through "drug trafficking, extortion, and pressure on the population," has finally been neutralized because "the iron hand of the State fell on him."
"In the Government of 'El Tigre', good people will no longer feel fear; those who should feel panic and terror are the criminals because those who do not submit will end up this way. We will not allow narcoterrorists to subdue the population and instill fear in the people," he assured.
The Colombian leader had already pointed out in July that 'Naín' was a "high-value target" for his administration, and warned then that his forces would be "relentless" with those who "sow violence and death" in the country.
The security forces' operation was executed in the early morning of Thursday in Riohacha, the capital of La Guajira. According to the Colombian Ministry of Defense, during the operation, alias 'La Bebecita', the romantic partner of 'Naín', as well as 'El Tío' and 'Casiloco', considered two of his main trusted men, were also killed.
De la Espriella had communicated at the end of August the rupture of the dialogue that was being maintained with the guerrillas of alias 'Calarcá', the Border Commandos, and the ACSN, a process promoted by former president Gustavo Petro with the aim of achieving "total peace" in Colombia.
The ACSN, historically known as 'Los Pachenca', had already announced the temporary suspension of peace talks with the Colombian Executive after the strong clashes recorded in April 2025, alleging "loss of the trust built in the agreements established in the social dialogues."
This armed group, active mainly in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and in nearby areas of the departments of Magdalena, La Guajira, and Cesar, emerged after the demobilization of the Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia (AUC), inheriting the structure and territorial control of the former Tayrona Resistance Bloc, which was under the command of Hernán Giraldo, alias 'El Patrón'.