Colombia man jailed for recruiting minors into FARC dissidents

Juan David Gurrute Luna has been sent to prison following allegations that he used social media to recruit two adolescents, aged 14 and 17, into the Carlos Patiño front of the FARC dissidents.

According to the Fiscalía General de la Nación, Gurrute Luna targeted the minors in the Huila department, exploiting their economic vulnerability by promising up to two million pesos, luxury goods, and weapons. The investigation revealed that the suspect organized the minors' travel from Pitalito, Huila, to the Cauca department by purchasing their bus tickets.

The teenagers were intercepted by the National Police on an intermunicipal bus in Popayán, Cauca, after family members alerted authorities to the situation. The minors are currently under the protection of the Colombian Institute of Family Welfare (ICBF).