The case of the young Colombian became a whole novel José Antonio Potes, whose family ensured on the television news News One who had been imprisoned in El Salvador after being accused of belonging to a gang, after he traveled to that country in search of better opportunities and for his admiration for its president, Nayib Bukele.
In this case the controversy continued, since after the case of his deprivation of liberty became known, he himself published a video, what the magazine revealed Weekin which he maintained that he was not captured for being part of a gang, but for an immigration mess.
“Right now I am here in the streets free”, indicated the young man at the beginning of the recording with which he would deny the version of his mother and that of his sentimental partner, who from the municipality of Ríofrío, in the department of Valle del Cauca, They assured the aforementioned newscast that they had accused him of belonging to the Colombian Mara 18 for which they imprisoned him and left him incommunicado.
Following, He explained that he did have a legal mess with the authorities of the Central American country, but that it was an immigration issue.
“It was some misunderstanding about something that was in jail for gang issues, but I was never there (for that), but for migration (matters), because I was without a work permit and was working, and I was detained. I see that the media spread something that was not “, he reiterated.
Nevertheless, When the case became known, members of the Bukele government went to the prison where Potes was being held to release him, as long as he recorded a video with him retracting what his relatives said. in Colombia and make it clear that it was just a misunderstanding, sources from News One in El Salvador.
This information would have been confirmed in that newscast by the Foreign Ministry itself, where, in addition, they mentioned that they even bought clothes for him. even in the news they obtained documents from that state entity where they realized that the admirer of the Salvadoran president had been captured in a military and police raid under suspicion that he was a gang member.
“On January 21, in the afternoon, Two Colombians were detained in the Las Margaritas neighborhood, in the municipality of Soypango (San Salvador) (…) within the framework of the Exception Regime currently in force in the country”, They quoted from the information provided to them by the Foreign Ministry.
While in another communication provided by the Colombian consulate in El Salvador, dating from February of this year, the government of that country confirmed that Potes had been deprived of his liberty.
“(The) arrest of Mr. José Antonio Potes Cáez. He is currently being held in the Ilopango Penal Admissions Center, under the crime of ‘illicit groups’ within the framework of the Exception Regime currently in force in the country”, they highlighted from the response of the diplomatic entity.
They also reported that the Colombian fan of Bukele would be in jail for six months, which could be extended if the Salvadoran Prosecutor’s Office requires it.
In that newscast they interviewed Eliana Potes Cáez, who maintained that the authorities of El Salvador did not allow her to communicate with her son, whom they jailed because, apparently, they assumed he was a gang member because of the tattoo he has on his left pectoral.
“They don’t let me see him because of that regime there (…) He has only one tattoo and it’s on his chest. It’s my mom’s name, the date she was born and (died),” he said.
While Claudia Marcela García, the sentimental partner of the young man in Colombia, with whom he also had a son who is now four years old, stated that in In the last communication he had with Potes, he had told him that he had been arrested after being accused of being a gang member.
“He is captured because he belongs to the Colombian Mara 18, where is there (a group of those) here?” questioned the woman in the interview.
For his part, Week consulted with the young man’s sister, Karol Potes, who reiterated that his relative traveled to El Salvador because he was a fan of its president, Nayib Bukele, whom he admired for his strong hand against organized crime, but also because I had a friend who had managed to settle in that country.
However, in the magazine he held the same version of his sister-in-law, that José Antonio Potes was arrested for allegedly belonging to the Mara 18.
