Murder of Miguel Castellanos in Cúcuta: travelled alone with his 12-year-old son and without security escorts
The former Government Secretary of Cúcuta was shot on 26 October following a collision caused by a motorcycle on the Western Ring Road. Authorities are offering up to 150 million pesos for information.
Former Government Secretary of Cúcuta shot on Western Ring Road after motorcycle collision
According to elcolombiano.com, Miguel Armando Castellanos Serrano, former Government Secretary of Cúcuta and pre-candidate for Mayor in the 2027 elections, was shot dead on Monday 26 October in the El Pórtico sector, on the Western Ring Road, in Cúcuta, Norte de Santander. The politician, a retired Major of the National Police, was travelling only with his 12-year-old son and did not have his security detail with him at the time of the attack.
The homicide occurred when Castellanos was returning to his home after attending to family matters. According to initial reports, a motorcycle collided with the armoured van in which he was travelling. The former official stopped the vehicle and got out to speak with the driver involved in the collision, at which point he was attacked with a firearm on several occasions. His son was unharmed.
Why he was travelling without security escorts
George Quintero, Security Secretary of Norte de Santander, explained in interviews with Blu Radio that Castellanos had travelled from another city in Colombia to Cúcuta due to an urgent family situation: his brother, former senator Jairo Castellanos, was hospitalised and needed to undergo surgery.
According to Quintero, the former official travelled by plane in the afternoon to personally attend to the situation, whilst his security escorts undertook the journey by road. This circumstance would explain why he was not accompanied by them at the time of the attack.
"He was travelling only with his son," said the departmental Security Secretary in reference to the conditions in which the victim was travelling.
The sequence of the attack
Quintero detailed the chain of events: "The information we have is that a motorcycle approached, hit the vehicle, he braked, got out to speak with the person about what had happened and at that moment what we know is that he was shot multiple times with a firearm."
Authorities are investigating whether the collision was deliberately used to force Castellanos to stop and thereby facilitate the attack. They are also attempting to reconstruct the route of those responsible and establish how they escaped the scene.
Quintero indicated that the former secretary was travelling from the municipality of Los Patios towards the El Pórtico sector when the attack occurred, about 300 metres from his home and approximately 500 metres from the Cúcuta Battalion, according to information published by Semana. The official described the Ring Road as "a fast-moving and quite dark highway", used mainly to divert heavy traffic and prevent its entry into the city.
Authorities investigate whether there was prior surveillance
The Police and Public Prosecutor's Office formed judicial investigation teams to reconstruct what happened, identify those responsible and establish the motives for the crime.
Quintero stated that the circumstances of the homicide could indicate that there was prior preparation. However, he clarified that it is up to judicial police bodies to determine whether those responsible carried out surveillance of the former official's movements.
"Given the circumstances in which the incident occurred, one might think that those responsible had some kind of surveillance or had planned the attack. It does not appear to be a fortuitous situation, but it will be up to the authorities to establish this," said Quintero.
The secretary also clarified that from the departmental office they did not have information confirming whether Castellanos had received threats prior to the murder, although he noted that the former official did have a security detail assigned to him. "We are waiting for the authorities to be able to clarify the facts," he declared.
Rewards and background to threats
The Government of Norte de Santander announced a reward of 50 million pesos, whilst the Municipality of Cúcuta offered a further 100 million pesos for information that would help clarify the murder and identify those responsible.
Castellanos served as Government Secretary of Cúcuta and, at the beginning of 2026, left the position to advance his political aspirations ahead of the 2027 local elections. During his tenure, he was linked to matters of security and control of public space in the border city.
According to people cited by Semana, his work in these areas may have generated conflicts with criminal structures that obtain income from illegal activities such as drug dealing and extortion. The same publication mentioned that the former official would have received threats from groups identified as the Ak-47, the Tren de Aragua and Familia P.
Source: Google News CO — Crime