Extortion received a new blow in Medellín after a forceful operation carried out by the Gaula Metropolitano and the Attorney General’s Office within the El Pedregal Prison and Penitentiary Complex.
During the intervention, carried out in pavilion 2 (where 712 people deprived of liberty remain, several of them linked to groups such as the Clan del Golfo, FARC dissidents and the ELN), the authorities dismantled a sophisticated “criminal call center” that made extortion calls to victims in different regions of the country.
The operation allowed the seizure of more than 5,000 grams of narcotics, 85 cell phones, 28 chargers and 12 sharp weapons, elements that were used to keep the criminal network operating.
According to the investigation, from this point impersonations, threats and financial demands were made on citizens of various cities under different forms of pressure.
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The discovery was possible thanks to information provided by a human source, who warned about the criminal activity that was taking place inside the prison.
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Medellin City
This result is added to another operation carried out a few days ago in the Bellavista prison, where about 50 cell phones used for extortion were seized.
Thanks to these controls, Medellín reports a 12% decrease in cases of this crime: it went from 896 complaints in 2024 to 784 so far in 2025, which represents 112 fewer reports.
The authorities announced that they will continue with surprise interventions to close the way to structures that insist on operating from prison centers.
Courtesy photo.
Courtesy photo.
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