The man known as “Kiko la Quema” is dead. For over four months Jose Antonio Figuereo Bautista had been sought by the authorities on charges of everything from murder to money laundering. His gang allegedly included two members of the National Police, as well as over two dozen associates.
He was caught on the road between San Cristobal city and the mountain town of Cambita Garabito in San Cristobal province.
The Police said he was killed in a shootout with police agents. Police agents found a rifle and a pistol on the deceased.
Accompanying the ringleader was a 15-year old girl. Other reports said that he leaves behind a pregnant 14-year old. He was a known pedophile. His sister told reporters that she herself would have told the police to take him down as they did.
Organized late last year by the National Police, Operation Mountain was launched to destroy the criminal gang headed by Kiko la Quema. It centered around Cambita Garabito in San Cristobal province and in the surrounding rural sectors.
Last November 2023, President Luis Abinader had called on the man to turn himself in, noting that his right-hand man had been killed as well as several of his known accomplices.
Operation Mountain used modern technologies such as drones and aerial surveillance to locate the fugitive.
Figueroa Bautista was wounded when taken to a local hospital where he died while being attended.
Diario Libre editorialized on how Kiko la Quema was venerated in Cambita, in the same way Pablo Escobar was in Colombia.
Read more in Spanish:
Diario Libre
Diario Libre
Diario Libre
Diario Libre
Listin Diario
Listin Diario
El Caribe
El Caribe
11 March 2024