José Manuel Sierra Sabogal, alias ‘Zarco Aldinever’

José Manuel Sierra Sabogal, alias “Zarco Aldinever,” was a former FARC commander who served with the 51st, 52nd, and 26th fronts in the departments of Meta, Cundinamarca, and Boyacá. He ultimately became one of the top commanders of the FARC’s Eastern Bloc. 

Within that structure, his duties entailed trafficking drugs, as well as taxing cocaine production and the trafficking routes under his command. After the signing of a peace deal between the Colombian government and the FARC in 2016, Sierra Sabogal took up arms again in 2019 with the Second Marquetalia, a dissident FARC group made up of former mid- and high-ranking commanders. He was killed in August 2025 along the Colombia-Venezuela border.

How Did Zarco Aldinever’s Criminal Career Begin?

Sierra Sabogal was born in Villavicencio in the department of Meta. He joined the FARC in 1990, when he was just 14 years old.

He began training at a camp known as “Hernando González Acosta,” founded in 1984 by Manuel Marulanda Vélez, alias “Tiro Fijo,” and Jorge Briceño, alias “Mono Jojoy.” At the camp, which schooled him in arms and ideological teachings, Zarco Aldinever earned the trust of Mono Jojoy.

In 1998, along with Henry Castellanos Garzón, alias “Romaña,” Zarco Aldinever participated in a large-scale kidnapping orchestrated by the FARC, which took place along a national highway that connects Bogotá and the Eastern Plains.

Zarco Aldinever’s ties to Mono Jojoy led to him become part of the FARC’s leadership. As commander of the infamous 53rd Front, he was in charge of the central Meta department, a FARC stronghold. He also had influence over a rural area south of the capital of Bogotá, where he was responsible for recruitment efforts and extortion.

After Mono JoyJoy’s death in 2010, Zarco Aldinever was seen as his successor within the Eastern Bloc. He also established a friendship with Hernán Darío Velásquez, alias “El Paisa,” and the pair worked together on the FARC’s cocaine trafficking operations. 

Zarco Aldinever took part in the peace process between the Colombian government that began with a peace agreement in 2016. He — along with Alberto Cruz Lobo, alias “Enrique Marulanda,” — was in charge of the Mesetas reintegration camp in Meta, where he oversaw the demobilization of 500 fighters. 

In late 2018, however, he left the reintegration camp, ending his participation in the peace process. About the same time, El Paisa also went missing. 

Zarco Aldinever later reappeared in a 2019 video announcing a new dissident force composed of ex-FARC leaders that was called the Second Marquetalia. Zarco Alidinever went on to become second-in-command of that dissident faction.

What Were Zarco Aldinever’s Main Criminal Activities?

As the commander of various fronts in Meta, Zarco Aldinever was charged with taxing coca and cocaine production and controlling smuggling routes.

Zarco Aldinever was tied to several cases of extortion and assaults in the towns of Cabrera, Venecia and Gutiérrez and the rural areas of Sumapaz. He was charged with multiple attacks against public security forces in Meta and Cundinamarca.

Within the Second Marquetalia, Zarco Aldinever continued trafficking drugs and participating in other illegal economies along the Colombia-Venezuela border.

Where Did Zarco Aldinever Operate?

During his time with the FARC, Zarco Aldinever tried to retake areas of Cundinamarca that the group lost control of in 2007. His base of operations was the border between the mountains of Sumapaz and the department of Meta. He also helped the group spread into the regions of Meta, Cundinamarca and Boyacá.

With the Second Marquetalia, Zarco Aldinever’s influence was primarily concentrated in the Colombia-Venezuela border region.

Who Were Zarco Aldinever’s Allies and Enemies?

Zarco Aldinever was a protege of Mono Jojoy and maintained close ties with him until his death. He commanded the Eastern Bloc with Jaime Alberto Parra Rodríguez, alias “Mauricio el Médico,” and was a close associate of El Paisa. 

In 2012, a criminal network was discovered in the Plains that included the FARC’s 53rd Front, Mexican drug traffickers, and allies of alias “Romaña.”

 Zarco Aldinever had ties to other guerrilla leaders, including Ferley Rondón Marín, alias “Robin,” who participated in various campaigns (El Billar in Caquetá, Puerto Rico in Meta and Algeciras in Huila) until he was killed in 2013. 

Zarco Aldinever also counted on longtime FARC fighter Jaime Aguilar Ramírez, alias “Dionisio Rayo,” an explosives expert and political advisor who was arrested in 2013.

Inside the Second Marquetalia, Zarco Aldinever became the right-hand man of Luciano Marín, alias “Iván Márquez,” the dissident faction’s top leader.

How Did Zarco Aldinever Die?

In August 2025, Zarco Aldinever was killed by the ELN in a targeted ambush on the Colombia-Venezuela border.

Prior to his death, Colombian prosecutors had identified Zarco Aldinever as one of those responsible for the the killing of Colombian senator and presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe Turbay in 2025.