Federal agents have already begun to investigate a fight in the bowels of the National Police that seems to be going through friction between internal power groups to possible effects of transnational operations and investigations against drug trafficking, smuggling and even cases of corruption.
The first episode of the fight began to emerge at the end of 2025, when the then director of the Police, William Rincón, the last of the Petro era, assured that parallel to the vile crime of his son Juan Felipe – which occurred on November 24, 2024 – there was a defamation and entrapment plan against him to prevent him from reaching the top of the institution. He has just repeated that same version in the podcast Más Allá del Silencio, in which he also gave names of officers and new episodes that he asked to be investigated.
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Guru and polygraphs
The then director of the National Police, General (r.) William Rincón. Photo:SAE
But what is now being investigated is whether behind the fight between internal groups there are shady decisions regarding counterintelligence investigations (such as that of alias Papa Smurf), internal revenge and irregularities in million-dollar contracts.
In this regard, the Investigative Unit of EL TIEMPO established for the first time that the Attorney General’s Office has just open a preliminary investigation to General (r.) Rincón regarding some of these issues.
Meanwhile, Rincón is asking to investigate whether someone was seeking to cover up million-dollar irregularities in health and logistics contracts, trying of hindering his arrival at the management and subjecting two of his trusted advisors to polygraph and investigations.
He even refers to a strange medical checkup that he was subjected to in the Police after his predecessor, General (r.) William René Salamanca, would have told him that a guru or pastor warned him about illnesses of people around him.
In the middle of his story, Rincón pointed out Salamanca and Nicolás Zapata Restrepo (deputy director of the Police at that time) to articulate episodes against him and against his family.
The Investigative Unit of EL TIEMPO investigated and established that The Attorney General’s Office is already investigating parts of the version that Rincón has been providing.
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‘Smurf’ and transfers
Diego Marín Buitrago, alias Papa Smurf Photo:Private file
The opening of the case, signed on September 18 by Patricia Carrillo, delegate of the Disciplinary Investigation Chamber, was based on a complaint filed by Lieutenant Colonel Julie Ruiz, who held the position of head of counterintelligence for two years during Gustavo Petro’s government.
The former high official refers not only to the polygraphs to which the two advisors were subjected, but also to an alleged irregular review of classified counterintelligence investigations that was ordered during the Rincón era, allegedly violating the intelligence and counterintelligence law and retaliating against the uniformed officers who participated in these.
One of the cases is related to mega smuggling operations, corrupt officials and Diego Marín Buitrago, alias Papa Smurf or ‘the king of smuggling’.
Regarding the polygraphs, Ruiz assures that they were administered to several uniformed officers (not only to Rincón’s advisors) after An anonymous message arrived indicating that, in a fraudulent and subjective manner, disciplinary investigations were being ordered for convenience and personal interests.
According to documents, this investigation was opened a month before the death of the son of General (r.) Rincón, an officer who is not mentioned. Even the fact that is of greatest concern is the leak of counterintelligence cases, triggering supposedly arbitrary transfers.
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Prosecutor and dismissals
Colonel Julie Ruiz., then head of counterintelligence. Photo:National Police
In this regard, Lieutenant Colonel Ruiz claims in her complaint that she was the target of arbitrary actions, such as the cancellation of his diplomatic commission abroad, which had been assigned to him for security reasons, due to the roles played in several cases.
According to him, there were movements of officials under his command, outside the counterintelligence area, in clear retaliation for the internal verifications carried out that had the seal of confidentiality, but that were disclosed, exceeding the functions of those who participated in those reviews.
When EL TIEMPO revealed some of these transfers, the then director of the Police, General (r.) William Rincón, assured that it was due to the institution’s own necessity: “All officers must be in stations; that is where we know what the needs are. They are diverting the true mission, which is to protect the country and strengthen democracy.”
And the Prosecutor’s Office was in charge of answering another doubt: Andrés Marín, the prosecutor who initiated the investigation into the bribes received from ‘Papá Smurf’ by officials of the Tax and Customs Police (Polfa), He ended up assigned to the investigation into the crime of the son of General (r.) Rincón.
Spokespersons for the prosecuting body told EL TIEMPO that this coincidence was due exclusively to a random assignment of criminal proceedings. The truth is that the ‘Smurf’ case has not progressed – his extradition is still pending – and a new chapter was opened with his failed contribution to the Petro campaign.
What is striking is that, to settle the complaint against him, General (r.) Rincón showed the desire to reconcile with officer Ruiz, but she did not agree because by that time they had already removed her from the institution.
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The contractor
Andrés Vanegas Fernández, then lieutenant of the Police reserve Photo:Social networks
In the midst of the accusations, a complaint also came to light that the Investigative Unit of EL TIEMPO revealed for the first time on March 28, 2025.
These are million-dollar contracts, for nearly 47 billion pesos, involving Andrés Vanegas, a then police reserve lieutenant, who appears in photos in Miami with Salamanca’s son.
Although Rincón now takes credit for that investigation, EL TIEMPO revealed at the time a shady agreement for 11.4 billion pesos to purchase X-rays from the Police. Besidescontracts with governorates and mayors that were delivered to the firm Data Tactical Management (DTM SAS), linked to Vanegas.
EL TIEMPO also revealed that Vanegas was mentioned by an undercover agent in the ‘Papá Smurf’ case, which his attorney described as simple conjectures. Furthermore, he was removed from the Police after the publications. What is now known is that counterintelligence followed in his footsteps since the Salamanca administration and General (r.) Carlos Fernando Triana.
At the time, Salamanca refrained from referring to the case. However, his attorney has just sent him a letter to the defense of Rincón, where he requests a retraction of all the accusations.
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General (r.) William René Salamanca, former director of the National Police. Photo:Constitutional Court
“General William Rincón is requested to rectify, under conditions of equity, the false statements lacking evidentiary support that he made against our client in the podcast published under the title ‘They made a setup to destroy me and killed my son’”reads the letter signed by the criminal Juan Camilo Torres.
In addition to pointing out that The guru’s version is false and that the medical examination he speaks of was performed on all the generals, he refers to the contractor Vanegas.
“General Rincón mentioned the son of our client by name to suggest, through him, a contractual favor in favor of the contractor Andrés Vanegas. This is also false. “The son of our client has never intervened in the hiring of the Police nor has he been a means to favor any contractor.”says Torres.
And it adds, among other points, that the polygraphy examinations were carried out in compliance with an order issued by the Directorate of Police Intelligence (Dipol), within a regulated institutional procedure, and whose purpose is protected by legal reservation: “That order was issued when our client (Salamanca) was on rest duty, and it was not due to any persecution.”
EL TIEMPO sent several questions to General (r.) Rincón about the complaint in the Attorney General’s Office, the polygraphs and the statements about Salamanca, but at the time of going to press he had not responded. For now, the Attorney General’s Office ordered the carrying out of tests that include transfers and leaks of counterintelligence cases.
INVESTIGATIVE UNIT
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@UinvestigativaET
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