The Mayor’s Office of Medellín confirmed the dismantling of a criminal call center that operated from inside the Bellavista prison, after an operation coordinated between the Police Gaula and the Prosecutor’s Office.
The authorities reached patio 2 of the prison complex, where they identified that inmates were using unauthorized lines to make extortion calls, impersonate authorities and threaten victims with demands for payment.
The procedure took place in an area made up of 57 cells and 785 inmates, most of them linked to common crime structures that, according to the investigation, had tried to reorganize their networks from prison.
During the operation, the authorities seized 50 cell phones, modems, knives and narcotic substances, key elements for the operation of the criminal call center, which sought to extend its reach through telephone intimidation and digital transfers.
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“No space, physical or digital, can be used to commit crimes in Medellín. The institutional articulation allows us to dismantle these structures,” said Manuel Villa Mejía, Secretary of Security and Coexistence.
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Medellin City
The authorities revealed that, in recent months, several criminal structures have tried to reactivate extortion models from prisons, taking advantage of the illegal entry of electronic devices. Faced with this, the strengthening of periodic inspections and the increase in intelligence actions to detect and neutralize new sources of crime in Bellavista were announced.
The Prosecutor’s Office assumed custody of the seized items and will continue with the investigations to identify those directly responsible, establish roles within the network and advance charges for extortion and conspiracy to commit a crime.
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