Colombia’s war on gangs as Harry and Meghan fly with agents to Bogota to defeat ‘The Satans’ and dismantle Escobar’s legacy

COLOMBIA is cracking down on gangs in the chaotic city of Bogota after a series of gang attacks hit the city ahead of Prince Harry and Meghan’s visit this week.

The chilling legacy of drug lord Pablo Escobar still hangs like a dark cloud over the capital, as police battle gangs to prevent the city from returning to a place of violence, bloodshed and crime.

GettyAgents in Colombia are cracking down on gangs after a series of disturbing attacks in recent years(/caption)

AlamyChildren allegedly joining local gangs(/caption)

GettyArmed police crack down on violent protests in Bogota using flamethrowers and gas grenades(/caption)

Colombian AFPA police officer stands next to packages of seized drugs in Bogota(/caption)

GettyPrince Harry and Meghan will visit Colombia in the coming days(/caption)

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are heading to Colombia for a four-day tour of the country, starting in Bogota.

Their planned trip was closely monitored due to a number of serious security concerns in the world-famous couple’s country.

The country is known to be unsafe, with official British broadcasters warning that kidnappings, drugs, organised crime and terrorism are a scourge.

In Bogota, many police officers are currently sweeping the streets to ensure the safety of residents after a series of deadly gang attacks over the past decade.

The city has always been known for its high level of street crime, ranging from muggings to assaults, but in recent times this has increased significantly.

Bodies are increasingly being found on the streets, many of them covered with signs of torture.

In just one month of 2022, police in Bogota found 15 bodies linked to human trafficking networks run by different gangs.

Bogota’s chief prosecutor told El Tiempo that the victims were Venezuelan migrants caught up in the fighting between Camilos and Aguaceros, who wanted to take control of the city.

A chilling court case later revealed that one of the gangs used a “massage parlour” to carry out their torture.

The victim was then taken outside, shot in the head and the body dumped.

Mayor Luis Carlos Galan says 3,000 additional police officers have been sent to Bogota in the past year to tackle the gangs.

Murder, armed robbery and drug-related violence have all caused problems in the capital, with 13,500 people expected to die in 2023, according to Insight Crime.

The problems are said to be the same everywhere in the country, with many of the deaths attributed to the 23 gangs that rule the country.

It is believed that nearly 18,000 people belong to the four largest gangs in Colombia.

The disturbing numbers have prompted the Colombian government to stamp out gang violence through peace and surrender agreements, a Reuters report said last year.

Police have begun cracking down on street violence and are making mass arrests.

One of the most feared gangs stopped in their terrifying tracks is The Satans, better known as “Los Satanás”.

The second man of the notorious street gang, Aderbiss Pirela, has been terrorizing business owners and residents for years.

GettyCops have begun ramping up arrests to stop violence in the capital(/caption)

AFPThe chilling legacy of drug lord Pablo Escobar still hangs like a dark cloud over the capital(/caption)

GettyColombia’s forensic police have seen a huge increase in crime scenes in recent decades, with violence breaking out(/caption)

GettyThe streets of Bogota are often in disrepair(/caption)

Gang leaders have been known to order assassins to shoot dead enemies or even locals, to prove their sick mentality.

Pirela himself was considered one of the seven most wanted killers in Bogota, Colombian authorities said.

He was eventually arrested earlier this year in Texas, where he was hiding on drug trafficking and extortion charges.

Several raids on the group over the past 12 months have left 18 gang members behind bars, while nine others have fled the country.

According to researchers and security experts, violence has increased since the Covid pandemic in 2020.

Gangs were hit hard, with businesses forced to close and trade halted for months.

Andrés Nieto, a security expert at the Central University of Colombia, says criminal organizations were shocked by the lockdowns but immediately sprang into action when businesses reopened.

He told Private Wire: “Today we see criminal gangs who want to revive their businesses and their income at all costs.”

It is also said that a marked increase in drug use during the pandemic has led to a spike in violence.

A local councillor in Bogota told El País that the fighting may be fuelled by cocaine use.

Drugs, organized crime and terrorism are inextricably linked in Colombia

Gov.uk

Graffiti of cocaine baron Pablo Escobar still adorns the walls of many major Colombian cities, as the legacy of the infamous drug lord lives on through new gangs.

According to the British government website, it is “highly likely” that terrorist attacks will occur in Colombia, and there are still many “armed groups active” in the country.

And kidnapping rates “remain high in Colombia”, with illegal armed groups taking hostages for both ransom and political ends, according to Gov.uk.

“Drugs, organized crime and terrorism are inextricably linked in Colombia,” the official site warns.

It says: “Pickpocketing, muggings and armed robberies are a problem, especially in large cities, including Bogotá, Medellín, Cali and the Caribbean coast.

“British citizens have been robbed at gunpoint in the Candelaria neighborhood of Bogotá and in many cities in Colombia.”

The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office advises against all but essential travel to parts of Colombia.

GettyRiot police face increased problems(/caption)

GettyTens of thousands of people are said to have joined gangs in Colombia in the past decade(/caption)

GettyA street in the Colombian capital is deserted after years of violent attacks(/caption)