A revelation from María Claudia Tarazona, widow of the senator and presidential candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay, put at the center of the investigation for the assassination of Alberto Cruz Lobo, alias Enrique Marulandaone of the sons of Manuel Marulanda Vélez, ‘Tirofijo’, founder of the FARC.
In an interview given to María Isabel Rueda, published by EL TIEMPO, Tarazona He assured that information delivered to the Prosecutor’s Office points to the guerrilla of having coordinated the material order to carry out the attack that occurred on June 7, 2025, in Bogotá.
“May this gentleman ‘Enrique Marulanda gave the ordernot the intellectual one, but the material one. The son of ‘Tirofijo’, foster son of Sandra Ramírez, gave the order and coordinated it“, stated Tarazona, who maintained that The information came to the attention of the Prosecutor’s Office in the last few days.
María Claudia Tarazona and Miguel Uribe Turbay Photo:Instagram @maclaudiat – Facebook Eva Rey
Your statement introduces elements about Marulanda’s alleged participation in the organization of the crime, although the criminal responsibility of the former combatant must be established within the judicial process.
The widow of the political leader also assured that Marulanda would be in charge of an illegal mining operation located in Vaupés or Guainía, linked to alias activities John 40 one of the controls of the ‘Second Marquetalia’. According to his version, the former guerrilla would be in charge of guarding and managing that placewhile the authorities investigate the origin of the resources that would have been used to finance the murder of Uribe Turbay.
But the name ‘Enrique Marulanda’ is already appeared in other investigations that motivated the authorities to launch a reward of 2,000 million for his whereabouts.
Pedro Antonio Marín Marín, alias Manuel Marulanda. Photo:Rodrigo Arangua-AFP File
Who is Enrique Marulanda?
The history of Marulanda, about 50 years old today, dates back to April 1989when he arrived with two of his brothers at the camps of Green House, in Metawhere his father remained. Mario, 10 years old; Enrique, nine, and Pablo, eight, They had been moved to that place after his mother warned that they were being watched. Since then They were left under the care of ‘Griselda Lobo’known as Sandra Ramírez, sentimental partner of ‘Tirofijo’ for more than three decades and who later would come to Congress by the party that emerged from the Peace Agreement.
Sandra Ramirez took care of the three childrentaught them to read and write and gave them his last name. Thus, Alberto Cruz became known as Alberto Cruz Lobowhile within the FARC adopted the name ‘Enrique Marulanda’. His childhood took place in the organization’s campswhere members of the guerrilla leadership were concentrated and from where armed group operations were coordinated.
In the circle alias Enrique Marulanda, when the formation of the ‘Second Marquetalia’ was announced Photo:Take video screen
In July 2022, Cambio magazine rebuilt that family relationship and documented how Ramírez had assumed care of the children of ‘Tirofijo’. By then, the name of Marulanda had reappeared in a statement from the ‘Second Marquetalia’which allowed intelligence agencies to publicly identify to the man who had grown up alongside the leadership of the former FARC.
As the years went by, Marulanda entered the armed structure and He was active in the Eastern Blocan organization under the command of Jorge Briceño Suárez, alias ‘Mono Jojoy’. According to intelligence information cited by this newspaper in 2022, His career was related to members of the Secretariat of the FARC and with commanders who later would participate in the formation of dissidents.
During the peace negotiations between the Government of Juan Manuel Santos and the FARC, Marulanda participated in the process that led to demobilization of that guerrilla. After signing the agreement, was established in Mesetas, Metawhere He joined the bodies organized by ex-combatants to coordinate their reintegration into civilian life.
One of the videos in which the son of ‘Tirofijo’ reappeared Photo:Video screenshot
Your permanence in the process ended in August 2018. As this newspaper reported then, Marulanda left the Mesetas area and returned the assigned security scheme by the National Protection Unit. The ex-combatant From that moment on, it was outside of institutional monitoring. that was carried out to the members of the former FARC covered by the agreement.
A year later, his name appeared related to the ‘Second Marquetalia’the organization that ‘Iván Márquez’, Jesús Santrich, ‘El Paisa’ and ‘Romaña’ announced in August 2019after withdrawing from the peace process. Marulanda became part of that structuremade up of former FARC commanders who they took up their weapons.
Your presence It was documented again in July 2022when appeared in a video reading a statement of the ‘Second Marquetalia’ on the state of health of ‘Iván Márquez’. The pronouncement sought to respond to the versions that were circulating about the death of the guerrilla leader after an attack that occurred in Venezuelan territory.
The dissemination of those images allowed him to reconstruct part of his career within the dissidence. By then, reports from organizations dedicated to monitoring the armed conflict They already mentioned it within the instances leadership of the Second Marquetalia, while the authorities carried out investigations related to the activities of its main members.
His career too was linked to the approaches that that organization held with the Government of Gustavo Petro to explore a peace negotiation. In 2023, Marulanda He appeared identified along with Walter Mendoza as one of the representatives of the dissidence that participated in contacts related to that process.
El Zarco Aldinever. Photo:Courtesy
Judicial sources consulted by EL TIEMPO indicated that the authorities estimate that Enrique Marulanda would currently be in Venezuela, particularly in the state of Bolívar, where a good part of the criminal component of the ‘Second Marquetalia’ maintains a presence in border corridors and mining exploitation areas. According to sources, The son of ‘Tirofijo’ would be obtaining resources from the illicit extraction of gold and other minerals that are sold in that region.
Precisely, in Venezuelan territory there also remained José Aldinever Sierra Sabogal, alias ‘Zarco Aldinever’, second in command of that dissident, whose death was reported in August 2025 after an ambush attributed to the ELN. This member of this guerrilla was also mentioned in the investigations for the murder of Miguel Uribe Turbay.
Justice Editorial
Justicia@eltiempo.com
