Operation Pearl in Colombia: 148 arrested for kidnapping and extortion across 12 departments
The National Police and the Public Prosecutor's Office conducted operations in 6 cities and 12 departments. President De la Espriella announced 148 detainees linked to the ELN, Clan del Golfo and other structures.
148 detained in national operation against kidnapping and extortion
Operation Pearl resulted in 148 people arrested across six cities and 12 departments in Colombia, according to infobae.com. President Abelardo de la Espriella presented the report on Thursday, 1 October, following a joint offensive by the National Police and the Public Prosecutor's Office.
The operations were conducted by the Unified Action Group for Personal Freedom (Gaula) of the police, in coordination with the judicial authority. The actions targeted structures linked to the National Liberation Army (ELN), Clan del Golfo, the Conquistadors for Self-Defence of the Sierra Nevada and other gangs engaged in illegal collection schemes.
Of the 148 detained, 75 were arrested for extortion, 32 for kidnapping-related crimes and 41 for related offences. The president disclosed the results through his X account, noting that the operation sought to dismantle networks that were exerting pressure on merchants, transport workers and residents of various regions of the country.
The official report did not specify the identities of those arrested or the specific departments where the operations took place. The detainees must appear before judges of guarantees, who will determine the legality of the arrests, the imputation of charges and any potential preventive detention measures.
During the operations, authorities seized 1,195 items: firearms, ammunition, grenades, mobile phones, motorcycles, one vehicle, a drone, cash and narcotics. The Government stated that this material was part of the operational and financial capacity of the structures targeted. The weapons, communication devices and vehicles will undergo technical and judicial verification processes to establish whether they were used in other criminal acts.
De la Espriella stated that, since the beginning of his administration, authorities have arrested 114 people for kidnapping and 390 for extortion. He also claimed that information provided by citizens made it possible to prevent payments totalling more than 34,000 million pesos to criminal organisations.
"Kidnappers and extortionists need to understand this clearly: we are coming for you," the president wrote in his post on X. He added that his Government would not allow these organisations to finance themselves "with the fear and labour of Colombians".
The president also linked citizen reporting to the results of the operations. "When the State makes a decision, it never loses," he stated in the same message.
The National Police and the Public Prosecutor's Office did not report, in the statement released by the president, whether the operations resulted in the rescue of retained persons or whether new extortion cases were identified during the course of the proceedings.
Source: Google News CO — Crime