Abelardo de la Espriella
@ABDELAESPRIELLA · South America
Abelardo de la Espriella is followed by Storyz World for government and public service coverage connected to Colombia in the South America chapter.
Blow against the ELN in the Colombian Massif! In the early hours of this morning, our public security forces, in coordination with the Prosecutor's Office's Technical Investigation Corps, captured in La Sierra, Cauca, two narco-terrorists from the ELN, including the alias “El Flaco,” identified as the head of a unit of the Manuel Vásquez Castaño Front. This criminal is linked to extortion, kidnappings, forced recruitment, and coercion against the population of the Colombian Massif. During the operation, one rifle, 4 handguns, 829 rounds of different calibers, 2 fragmentation grenades, and 8 electric detonators were seized, along with communications equipment, cash, and documents of interest. We continue striking the ELN and protecting Colombians from its criminal actions. We are going after its commanders, weapons, finances, and support networks. In Colombia, terrorists will not have a minute of peace. Steadfast for the homeland! Long live Christ the King! (A.D.L.E)
Translated from SpanishWe signed 11 new decrees to move from the immediate response to the emergency to Colombia’s recovery and reconstruction. We created the Patria Milagro Fund, gave departments and municipalities greater financial capacity, enabled extraordinary FONPET resources, allocated resources to guarantee continuity of energy supply, and launched a special Obras por Impuestos mechanism to accelerate reconstruction. We also enabled investments between territories and adopted special measures so that no child or young person has to stop studying because of the earthquake, even if their schools were affected. Now comes the most important part: implementation. Every peso made available must become solutions, every decree must become results, and every decision must become housing, schools, services, infrastructure and opportunities for affected families. Reconstruction cannot remain just announcements. We will get Colombia back on its feet and turn this tragedy into the building of our Patria Milagro. Stand firm for the Homeland! (A.D.L.E.)
Translated from SpanishIn Montería, and under my instruction, the National Mining Agency is restoring its presence in the territory by opening the Local Service Point, which will serve more than 2,500 miners in the region. We are returning to the territory to support the sector, drive investment, create jobs, and turn Córdoba’s mining potential into development and opportunities for its people. This land has enormous wealth, and in my government, we will work to harness it responsibly, with legal certainty and always within the framework of the law. My homeland has what it takes to move forward, grow, and prosper. And we will make it happen. Stand firm for the Fatherland! (A.D.L.E.)
Translated from SpanishA contundent blow to drug trafficking and its criminal finances! In Antioquia and Valle del Cauca, our National Police, in coordination with the DEA and the Office of the Attorney General of the Nation, dismantled a drug-trafficking organization linked to the Gulf Clan, dedicated to trafficking cocaine to the United States and money laundering. Ten people were arrested, one of them for extradition to the United States. In addition, we applied asset forfeiture to 39 assets valued at more than USD 12 million, including real estate, companies, commercial establishments, and vehicles. This organization is believed to have managed to move $2.3 trillion through 1,953 international transactions, even using crypto-assets, and facilitated the entry of money from drug trafficking into Colombia’s financial system. The order is to hit drug traffickers where it hurts them most: in their drugs and their pockets. We are coming for their routes, their nominees, their companies, their properties, and every peso produced by crime. Anyone who gets rich from drug trafficking will lose their freedom and their assets. Stand firm for the Fatherland! Long live Christ the King! (A.D.L.E)
Translated from SpanishThe offensive by our Public Force does not stop! In the last 24 hours, we achieved 43 arrests and 3 surrenders to justice. We also took 4,549 rounds of ammunition, 5 firearms and 7 illegal caches out of circulation. We continue hitting drug trafficking: 297 kg of cocaine and 317 kg of marijuana were seized, along with 350 kg of coca base being processed. Eight coca-paste laboratories were also hit, along with thousands of gallons and kilograms of inputs for drug production. In Soacha, 11 people were arrested in operations against a “pinchallantas” organization; in Barranquilla, 5 members of “Los Costeños” and “Los Pepes” were arrested; and in Ipiales, 8 members of “Los Patios” were arrested, accused of migrant smuggling, homicide and counterfeiting foreign currency. Since August 7, there have already been 17,147 arrests, 75,613 kg of narcotics seized, 1,761 firearms taken out of circulation and 1,506.8 hectares of coca eradicated. We will not lower our guard. We are going after the criminals, their weapons, their laboratories, their finances and their territories. In Colombia, bandits will not have a minute of peace. Stand firm for the Homeland! Long live Christ the King! (A.D.L.E)
Translated from SpanishWe continue striking the ELN and its criminal economies in Cesar! In Pailitas, our National Police, in coordination with the Office of the Attorney General, arrested the aliases “El Loco” and “Leyla,” members of the Camilo Torres Restrepo Front of the ELN. The operation seized a fragmentation grenade, 2 pistols, a shotgun, ammunition, 18 cellphones, and quartermaster material. Alias “El Loco” was responsible for collecting money from the illicit extraction of hydrocarbons, one of the criminal economies through which this structure finances its terrorist activities. In addition, the seized weapons would have been used to commit targeted killings in Curumaní, Pailitas, and Pelaya. We are going after the ELN on every front: its leaders, its weapons, its finances, and its illegal economies. Every peso we take from them means less capacity to finance terrorism and spread fear among Colombians. Firm for the Homeland! Long live Christ the King! (A.D.L.E)
Translated from SpanishAGREEMENTS OF BARRANQUILLA: A NEW STRATEGIC ALLIANCE From Barranquilla, we took a new step in the relationship between Colombia and the United States. Together with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, we laid out a roadmap centered on three major purposes: rebuilding the homeland, recovering the economy, and safeguarding the hemisphere. The Barranquilla Agreements seek to turn our alliance into action: investment and financing for reconstruction; infrastructure, energy, technology, and industrialization; new capabilities to combat narcoterrorism and transnational crime; border cooperation; legal, safe, and orderly migration; and a joint offensive to continue tracing the money of corruption and criminal organizations. Colombia will do its part. We will deliver, putting resources, projects, productive capacity, and clear rules on the table. We want a relationship that generates investment, employment, security, and opportunities for our people. And this new stage begins in the regions, because Colombia is not governed solely from Bogotá: Colombia is governed from its territories. The agreements now have to become results. Rebuild the homeland. Recover the economy. Safeguard the hemisphere. Firm for the homeland! Long live Christ the King! (A.D.L.E.)
Translated from SpanishI met with Invías Director Juan Camilo Ostos to advance one of our government’s priorities: accelerating the major infrastructure projects Colombia needs. We will improve connectivity on primary roads, rehabilitate strategic corridors in the regions, and move forward with the construction of more than 30,000 kilometers of regional roads. Colombia needs infrastructure that connects territories, drives the economy, and brings development to every corner of the country. That is the commitment of the Government of the Miracle Homeland: fewer announcements and more works. Stand firm for the homeland! Long live Christ the King! (A.D.L.E.)
Translated from SpanishThis is one of my favorite parts of governing: the relentless signing of extraditions. With those signed today, we have completed 70 extraditions in just 32 days in office. I am determined to take all international cooperation mechanisms to the highest level to combat organized crime, drug trafficking, and terrorism, without hesitation and with absolute adherence to the law. We are fighting head-on, doing what the law requires, and sending an unequivocal message: Colombia will be no refuge for criminals and no territory of impunity. Stand firm for the homeland! Long live Christ the King! (A.D.L.E.)
Translated from SpanishThe offensive by our Public Force continues to produce results throughout the country! In the last 24 hours, we achieved 21 arrests and one surrender to justice. In addition, we took 8 firearms, 67 rounds of ammunition, 3 magazines and 2 illegal depots out of circulation. We continue to strike drug trafficking forcefully: 490 kg of cocaine, 300 kg of coca base and 123 kg of marijuana were seized, along with thousands of gallons and kilograms of inputs for drug production. Eight coca-paste laboratories were also affected. In Tibú, Norte de Santander, our National Army destroyed a laboratory belonging to the ELN’s Juan Fernando Porras Martínez front, where 490 kg of cocaine and 300 kg of coca base were seized. In Santa Marta, 2 members of the Autodefensas Conquistadoras de la Sierra were arrested for extortion, and in Medellín alias Copete, identified as the second-in-command of the La Sierra narcoterrorist group, was brought down. Since August 7, there have been 16,526 arrests, 74,307 kg of narcotics seized, 1,695 firearms taken out of circulation and 1,506.8 hectares of coca eradicated. We will not let up for a single day. We are going after the criminals, their weapons, their laboratories, their finances and their territories. In Colombia, bandits will not have a single minute of peace. Firm for the homeland! Long live Christ the King! (A.D.L.E)
Translated from SpanishBlow to the ELN’s war logistics in Aguachica! Our National Police, in coordination with the Police’s GAULA unit and the National Army, caught Fabián Yesid Contreras Contreras red-handed in Aguachica, Cesar, an alleged member of the ELN’s Camilo Torres Restrepo Front. The operation seized 4,950 rounds of ammunition: 1,900 rounds of .50 caliber and 3,050 rounds of 5.56 mm, as well as two ELN flags, a vehicle and a cellphone. According to the authorities, the detainee was allegedly responsible for receiving, storing, guarding and transporting war materiel intended for armed units operating in Aguachica, La Gloria, Río de Oro and the Catatumbo region. We are cutting the supply routes of terrorism. Every round of ammunition we seize is criminal capacity we take away from the ELN and lives we protect. I have ordered our public security forces to follow the trail of these weapons and munitions: establish their origin, identify the entire logistics network and capture those who finance, transport and receive this war materiel. Steadfast for the Fatherland! Long live Christ the King! (A.D.L.E)
Translated from SpanishWe are dismantling the hitman arm of “La Cordillera” in Pereira! Since August 7, our Public Force has carried out 10 urban operations in the Pereira metropolitan area, resulting in the capture of more than 15 hitmen linked to this criminal structure and the seizure of more than 20 firearms and abundant ammunition. Among those captured are aliases “Doble Cero,” “Teo,” “Giro,” “Nea,” “Mateo,” “Luisbu,” “Chirino,” “William,” “Brandon,” “El Mono,” “7,” “Pipe,” “Jorgito,” and “Carro Loco,” among others. This offensive strikes a structure dedicated to drug trafficking, extortion, “gota a gota” loans, and contract killings. The results are already being felt in the streets: homicides in the Pereira metropolitan area have decreased by more than 60 cases compared with the same period in 2025. Now “La Cordillera” intends to recruit new members in Cartago and other areas of Valle del Cauca to recover its criminal capacity. The order to our Public Force is to get ahead of it: identify the recruiters, capture the hitmen, and destroy their finances and drug-trafficking networks. I will not allow them to rebuild what we are dismantling. Steadfast for the Fatherland! Long live Christ the King! (A.D.L.E)
Translated from SpanishAnother forceful blow against drug trafficking in Nariño! In La Tola, our National Police, through DIRAN and in coordination with the National Navy, disabled a cocaine-production facility and seized 859 kilograms of cocaine, 2,837 gallons of liquid precursor materials, and 570 kilograms of solid precursor materials. This complex had the capacity to produce up to 3 tons of drugs per month, which were to be transported toward the border with Ecuador. The drug-trafficking organization that operated it paid for its criminal production to the Alan Rodríguez narcoterrorist structure of the Central General Staff, part of the FARC dissidents. With this operation, we struck criminal revenues by nearly $3.9 billion and prevented approximately 2.2 million doses from reaching consumer markets. We are going to destroy the laboratories, cut the routes, and pursue the money from drug trafficking. Every kilogram of cocaine we seize is money that will not reach criminals to finance weapons and terrorism. Stand firm for the Homeland! Long live Christ the King! (A.D.L.E)
Translated from SpanishI received the United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, and his wife, Jeanette Rubio, in Barranquilla. This high-level meeting confirms, with facts and absolute determination, that the strategic alliance between Colombia and the United States is firmer than ever. We are advancing a joint agenda to strengthen regional security, fight narco-terrorism head-on, fulfill and collaborate on border matters, and open new opportunities for investment, development and prosperity for our peoples. Colombia is reclaiming its international leadership with seriousness, character and a results-driven diplomacy, not speeches. Firm for the Homeland! Long live Christ the King! (A.D.L.E.)
Translated from SpanishI signed the decree lifting the general suspension of permits to carry firearms in Colombia. For years, the citizen who complies with the law was restricted while criminals continued arming themselves illegally to the teeth. That has to change. The figures show where the real threat lies: between January 1 and September 3, our Public Force seized 15,700 firearms. Of those, 14,179 were related to the commission of crimes. In addition, 980 weapons appear linked to dissidents, 551 to the Gulf Clan, and 339 to the ELN. Among those associated with the dissidents alone, we found 380 rifles and 65 60-millimeter mortars. That is the firepower the State must pursue and destroy. Let it be clear: this does NOT mean indiscriminate carrying. Strict controls, requirements, and permits from the competent authorities remain in place. What ends is the general suspension that turned the prohibition into the rule. To the good citizen who rigorously complies with the law, guarantees within the law. To the illegally armed criminal, the full weight of the law and all the legitimate force of the State. We are going to take illegal weapons away from criminals. Colombia's security cannot continue to be built by disarming the citizen who complies with the law and leaving the bandits armed. Stand firm for the homeland! Long live Christ the King! (A.D.L.E.)
Translated from SpanishThe offensive by our Public Force is not stopping! In the last 24 hours we achieved 21 arrests and one surrender to justice. We took 8 firearms, 678 rounds of ammunition and 18 magazines, among other items, out of circulation. In El Retorno, Guaviare, we destroyed a laboratory and seized 800 kg of cocaine, 60 kg of coca paste, 1,265 gallons of liquid inputs and 500 kg of solid inputs. In Palmira, 1.55 tons of marijuana were seized and in Taminango, another 24 kg of coca paste. We are also continuing to strike illegal mining: in Caucasia we destroyed machinery used for extraction. Since August 7, we have made 15,860 arrests, seized 72,507 kg of narcotics, taken 1,639 firearms out of circulation and eradicated 1,407.3 hectares of coca. We will not give an inch in the face of narco-terrorism. We are coming for their men, their weapons, their laboratories, their finances and their illegal economies. The criminals will not have a minute of peace. Stand firm for the Homeland! Long live Christ the King! (A.D.L.E)
Translated from SpanishA forceful blow against the transnational trafficking of explosives! In Antioquia and Cundinamarca, our National Police, in coordination with the Attorney General’s Office, arrested 6 members of the narco-terrorist group “Los Orión,” including alias “Mauro,” the leader of this structure. This organization was allegedly engaged in trafficking explosives originating from Chile, Peru, and Ecuador, destined for criminal structures to carry out terrorist actions and illegal mining activities. The operation seized 17,000 detonators, 100 kilograms of chemical materials for manufacturing explosives, 2 firearms, ammunition, 9 cellphones, a vehicle, and 7.2 million pesos in cash. This structure has criminal alliances with the “Jaime Martínez” and “Dagoberto Ramos” structures. Every detonator we seize is an explosive that will not reach the hands of terrorists. We will cut off their supply routes, their finances, and their criminal alliances. We will pursue them inside and outside our borders. They will not have a minute’s peace. Stand firm for the Homeland! Long live Christ the King! (A.D.L.E)
Translated from SpanishChocó has spent decades accumulating diagnoses, shelved studies, and promises that never made it off the page. Today I came to Quibdó to change that history. We are not going to respond to the tragedy of the earthquake with a handout program that distributes subsidies and then abandons the region until the next emergency. True solidarity does not create dependency: it emancipates, transforms, and creates the conditions for a region to produce, grow, and prosper. That is why, at the Business Summit for the Transformation of Chocó and the Reconstruction of the Country, we launched the Marshall Plan for Chocó, bringing the Government and Colombia’s major business leaders together around concrete commitments. We secured financing for the Quibdó waterfront promenade; $5 billion in seed capital for 1,000 affected entrepreneurs; $1 trillion for road infrastructure and air connectivity; and the studies needed to advance the Interoceanic Canal. Added to this are 100 scholarships for young people with Nutresa, financial inclusion with Nubank, tourism development with the Santo Domingo Foundation, direct purchases from Chocó producers by Olímpica, incentives to attract companies and industry to the department, and a special management office in the Fondo Patria Milagro to oversee implementation and safeguard every peso. Chocó was not born to live condemned to poverty. It has wealth, talent, and an extraordinary strategic position. What it lacked for decades was turning that potential into real opportunities for its people. With investment, business, infrastructure, authority, and work, we are going to lift Chocó up from its roots and turn it into a driver of development for Colombia. Stand firm for the homeland! Long live Christ the King! (A.D.L.E.)
Translated from Spanish1.7 tons of marijuana off the streets and 3 arrested! On the Villa Rica (Cauca)–Palmira (Valle del Cauca) road, our National Police seized 1.7 tons of marijuana that was being transported hidden in a tractor-trailer and arrested 3 people for drug trafficking. The shipment had left Caloto, Cauca, bound for Barranquilla, where, according to the authorities, it was to be received, distributed and sold by the narco-terrorist group “Los Costeños”. We continue hitting drug trafficking throughout its entire chain: production, transport, distribution and sale. Every ton we seize is money that will not reach criminal structures to finance weapons, hitmen and terrorism. To “Los Costeños” and all criminal organizations, I reiterate: we are coming for your leaders, your finances and your networks. You will not have a minute of peace. Stand firm for the Fatherland! Long live Christ the King! (A.D.L.E)
Translated from SpanishA forceful blow against extortion and organized crime in Magdalena! Our National Police arrested 11 people in Aracataca, Zona Bananera and San Sebastián de Buenavista and apprehended a minor for the crimes of extortion and firearms trafficking. Among those arrested are the individuals known by the aliases “Zarco,” “Chatarro,” “Cara de Palo” and “Monteriano,” members of the Sierra Conquering Self-Defense Forces, the Gulf Clan and the criminal group “Los Primos,” structures that commit extortion and homicides in the department. The operations resulted in the seizure of 9 firearms, ammunition, 4 motorcycles, 4 cellphones and a signal jammer. The message to the bandits is clear: we are coming for you. We will free the merchants, farmers, business owners and every family in Magdalena from fear and extortion. No territory will be off-limits to the Public Force, nor will any criminal organization be untouchable. We will capture them, bring them to justice and remove them from the criminal market. Stand firm for the homeland! Long live Christ the King! (A.D.L.E)
Translated from SpanishA soldier of the Fatherland was killed by the detonation of a minefield on the Pan-American Highway! This morning, in the jurisdiction of Mercaderes, Cauca, near the border with Nariño, an explosive device claimed the life of our professional soldier José Manuel López Villada and wounded soldiers Yeison Andrés Garzón Moreno and Emerson Otálvaro Rico, who are receiving medical attention. To José Manuel’s family, all my solidarity, my prayers, and Colombia’s gratitude. To Yeison and Emerson, I wish you a speedy recovery. During the verification of the area, our Public Force caught red-handed, in Taminango, Nariño, a man allegedly linked to the installation of the minefield. Justice will determine his responsibility and his possible links to criminal structures. I have given the order to reach those responsible for this crime and establish who planned, financed, and carried it out. We will not allow terrorists to sow mines along our roads and murder those who protect Colombians. For every soldier or police officer they murder, we will bring down on the criminals the full weight and all the legitimate force of the State. Honor and glory to soldier José Manuel López Villada. Stand firm for the Fatherland! Long live Christ the King! (A.D.L.E)
Translated from SpanishToday we experienced a historic event in Chocó. We brought some of Colombia’s most important business leaders to this department so they could come to the region, learn firsthand about its needs and, above all, commit to its development. For years, people have talked to Chocó about opportunities. Today we brought the opportunities to Chocó. This gathering produced concrete commitments in infrastructure, education, energy, tourism, mining, banking and support for local producers. This meeting marks a new way of doing things: we do not want people from Chocó to have to leave in search of opportunities; we want investment, businesses and development to come to Chocó. Today Colombia’s major business leaders turned their eyes to this land and began building a new story for the department with us. Chocó has what it takes. Now we are going to make Colombia and the world discover it. Stand firm for the homeland! (A.D.L.E.)
Translated from SpanishColonel Plazas Vega is a hero of the Homeland. The Supreme Court of Justice declared him innocent, after an infamous and deceitful judicial persecution that lasted for years. However, strategic litigation pursues him beyond the country’s borders. If the colonel has to face legal situations on account of events that occurred in the exercise of his duty, in defense of the Homeland, it is the duty of the State to support him. Mr. Foreign Minister @omarbula, Madam Ambassador María Consuelo Araujo: I ask you to assess the case facing the retired colonel and proceed accordingly. The soldiers of the Homeland cannot be left at the mercy of strategic litigation that causes so much damage to the institutions. In my government, the approach to these events will not be to abandon those who wore the uniform of the Armed Forces to their fate. Stand firm for the Homeland! Long live Christ the King! (A.D.L.E)
Translated from SpanishThe offensive by our Public Force does not stop! In the last 24 hours, we made 15 arrests and took 2 weapons, 58 rounds of ammunition, 26 magazines, 43 electric detonators, and an illegal depot out of circulation. We continue to strike drug trafficking hard: 589 kg of marijuana, 2,340 kg of coca leaf, 21,706 gallons of liquid precursors, and 570 kg of solid precursors were seized, in addition to 15 laboratories for processing coca base paste being taken down. In Putumayo, we also seized 6,340 gallons of crude oil intended for illegal refining. Since August 7, our Public Force has accumulated 15,401 arrests, 71,873 kg of narcotics seized, 1,595 firearms taken out of circulation, and 1,407.3 hectares of coca eradicated. We will not let our guard down. We are coming for the criminals, their laboratories, their weapons, their finances, and every peso that feeds narco-terrorism. In Colombia they will have no sanctuary or a minute of peace. Firm for the Fatherland! Long live Christ the King! (A.D.L.E)
Translated from Spanish (Colombia)The first person freed in the Miraculous Homeland. The freedom of a Colombian is not up for negotiation and is not subjected to the will of criminals. Even before we came to government, the authorities already had precise information about the whereabouts of José Luis, a fellow Colombian who had been kidnapped for more than 11 months. That information was available, but the order to rescue him never came. When I learned about the case and had that information in my hands, I immediately authorized the military rescue operation. In my government, we do not hesitate when it comes to saving the life of a Colombian and confronting terrorism. The difference is simple: they had the information; we made the decision and acted. Today, José Luis is the first kidnapped person rescued by our Public Force under the government of the Tiger. He returned safe and sound to the embrace of Doña Hilda, his mother, regaining his freedom and a second chance at life. My absolute recognition goes to all the members of the military forces who took part in this operation, for their courage, precision, and commitment to the homeland. I warned the narco-terrorists: in Colombia, leniency is over. We will pursue them to the last corner of the national territory. In the Miraculous Homeland, no kidnapped Colombian will be abandoned to his fate. Stand firm for the homeland! Long live Christ the King! (A.D.L.E.)
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