Security update
October 4 to 5: a ton of drone explosives found
Here's what happened since the last update, and what each one means.
1A ton of drone explosives found in Catatumbo
Police, the army and the air force found an ELN depot near Sardinata, in Norte de Santander: about a ton of explosives, 100 homemade grenades built to be dropped from drones, and launch ramps. They destroyed it on the spot.
What it meansLast week the ELN hit police stations in Chocó with drones 11 times. This depot would have supplied dozens more attacks in Catatumbo. Finding it before it was used is the kind of result that saves lives.
2The bomb maker behind the Algeciras attack
Police captured alias "Camilo" in Ibagué. He is an explosives man for the Iván Díaz front of the FARC dissidents, and he is linked to the August 12 attack in Algeciras, Huila, that killed two soldiers and wounded 16.
What it meansArresting the people who build the bombs cuts the groups' ability to repeat these attacks.
3"Salchichón" arrested in Barranquilla
Police and prosecutors captured alias "Salchichón", the head of the Los Porteños gang and a former Gulf Clan (Clan del Golfo) regional leader, together with his second-in-command, in Barranquilla and Puerto Colombia. The gang is accused of selective killings, drug dealing and extortion of shopkeepers.
What it meansWith the top two in jail, the gang is weaker. Gangs like this fill the gap fast, so the test is whether the extortion of shopkeepers drops.
4Migration sweep in Riohacha and Maicao
Police, the army and Migración Colombia ran checks in Riohacha and Maicao, near the Venezuelan border: 23 foreigners were expelled, 260 people were taken in for identity and status checks, and 26 police citations were issued. The authorities did not release names, nationalities or the reason for each case. In earlier checks in Riohacha, at shops, nightspots and public places, a Venezuelan was expelled for 10 years for repeated offenses against public order. He had seven police citations.
What it means for usThe rules apply to every foreigner, including us. Carry your documents, keep your visa current, and don't collect police citations. Seven of them cost one man 10 years.
On social media
His post on these operations reached 54,000 views and 4,000 likes, about normal for him, with few replies. The most pointed reply: "Sardinata is the most serious: a ton of explosives and 100 grenades ready for drones. That's no longer ordinary crime." Critics mostly traded insults; others asked for the same pressure in Magdalena, Cesar and La Guajira.
I support most of this. But it doesn't go far enough. These groups use any space they're given to reset and grow. They need to be crushed, not contained.