International • • • 🌿 Progressive

Agentes penitenciarios revisan mesas con celulares y accesorios incautados en el patio de una prisión colombiana
Imagen alusiva al megaoperativo de registro en 19 pabellones de la cárcel La Picota. · Imagen generada para EPM

La Picota raid seizes 582 phones and 3,754 SIM cards in Bogota

President Abelardo De La Espriella announced a prison agency operation in 19 cell blocks at La Picota in Bogota that seized 582 cell phones, 3,754 SIM cards…

--- The context --- President Abelardo De La Espriella has identified extortion ordered from inside prisons as one of his main concerns. According to the president, almost all extortion in several regions of the country is carried out by inmates, leaving citizens exposed to intimidation. --- The facts --- President Abelardo De La Espriella announced a search and control operation by the National Penitentiary and Prison Institute in 19 cell blocks of La Picota prison in Bogota. According to the head of state, officers seized 582 cell phones, 3,754 SIM cards, 38 modems and six Starlink antennas. The operation also seized 356 sharp weapons, along with narcotics, cash and numerous electronic accessories. The president presented the announcement as a new blow against extortion from prisons, within a line of action that includes transferring inmates and adopting new control measures. --- The positions --- In remarks conveyed in indirect form, the president said prisons cannot continue to be centers of criminal operations and that he will not allow crimes to keep being ordered, Colombians intimidated and justice mocked from cells. He also maintained that behind the walls the law rules and indulgence toward crime has ended. --- What remains unknown --- The source does not specify which cell blocks accounted for each seizure or how many inmates were identified as responsible for the items found. It also does not state what investigations will follow, what will happen to the seized equipment or which permanent controls will remain at La Picota. --- Unanswered questions --- What investigations will be opened against the inmates linked to the 582 phones and the 3,754 SIM cards seized? How will new equipment be prevented from entering the 19 cell blocks searched? What additional protection will extortion victims receive after this operation? --- EPM analysis --- The scale of the seizure helps measure the problem described by the president himself. Hundreds of phones, thousands of cards and connection antennas inside a single prison suggest a sustained capacity to communicate with the outside, incompatible with state control and with the safety of victims. The effect will only last if control is maintained and transfers are applied consistently. The precedent cited by the president, the order to transfer 120 inmates from Buenaventura to maximum security facilities, shows an effort to close space for those who commit crimes behind bars and protect citizens. 📌 EPM Take: In EPM's view, the large operation at La Picota answers a fair demand from extortion victims, who deserve to live without intimidation ordered from a cell. Support for state authority should go hand in hand with permanent controls, clear investigations and guarantees in the treatment of the prison population. If the control recovered in the cell blocks is sustained and leads to fewer crimes against citizens, the intervention will have achieved its most important purpose and strengthened public trust.
📤 Share on Telegram

¿Te gustó este artículo? Recibe cobertura global en tu correo.

Suscríbete gratis / Subscribe free