Seven Killed in Violent Home Invasion Near Medellin Amidst
Ongoing Drug War
Seven people were killed in a house near the Colombian city
of Medellin on Tuesday night, according to police reports. Colonel Carlos
Andres Martinez Romero stated, "At around 7:30 PM in the rural area of
Rionegro, a regrettable incident occurred in which seven people were
killed."
Martinez detailed that "ten individuals armed with
large weapons broke into a house" in the Cabeceras area, approximately 12
miles from Medellin. The police have announced a reward of around $12,000 for
information leading to the capture of the perpetrators.
The military has initiated a "plan to blockade the
municipalities surrounding Cabeceras to locate the perpetrators," as
communicated on social media. Authorities have not yet disclosed the identities
of the victims.
Local media reports indicate that the gunmen escaped in a
convoy of several cars and motorbikes. Images released by the Rionegro mayor's
office depict forensic experts working on an unpaved road in the rain.
"I have called a security council meeting to stop this
wave of violence," Rionegro mayor Jorge Rivas stated on social media.
This year, several drug lords have been arrested in Rionegro
and the surrounding areas. Powerful cartels such as the Gulf Clan recognized as
the world's leading cocaine producer, are known to operate in the region.
According to the U.S. State Department, the Gulf Clan "uses violence and
intimidation to control narcotics trafficking routes, cocaine processing
laboratories, speedboat departure points, and clandestine landing strips."
In 2022, the Gulf Clan drug cartel enforced a shutdown of
dozens of towns in northern Colombia for four days following the extradition of
its leader, Dairo Antonio Úsuga David, also known as Otoniel, to the U.S. for
trial. The cartel warned that those who disobeyed the stay-at-home order risked
being shot or having their vehicle burned.
Colombia is the world's largest cocaine producer,
cultivating over 230,000 hectares of coca leaf, the main ingredient, in 2022,
according to the United Nations. Cocaine is frequently trafficked from Colombia
to Central America, the United States, and Europe. Earlier this month,
authorities seized two semisubmersible vessels loaded with nearly 5 tons of
cocaine off Colombia's Pacific coast.
Authorities reported having seized at least 13 "narco subs" so far this year. The Colombian navy intercepted 20 semisubmersibles in 2023, leading to the seizure of 30 tons of cocaine and more than 5 tons of marijuana.