Up to 41 people who were deprived of liberty for crimes such as theft and small-scale drug trafficking have escaped from a Transfer Center for Protection, taking advantage of a riot and what the authorities have described as "a setup" to blend into the streets and avoid being arrested again.
"They said that one of the people deprived of liberty was feeling unwell, but it was all a setup," stated the governor of the Magdalena department, Margarita Guerra, in statements to the Colombian broadcaster RCN.
The inmates --linked to crimes of theft and micro-trafficking-- managed to leave the facilities and disperse through the nearby roads, an area where residential neighborhoods, supermarkets, a sports complex, and the transport terminal are concentrated, making their immediate location difficult.
In light of this episode, the president of Colombia, Abelardo de la Espriella, has ordered the removal from office of the police chief of Santa Marta, Yeison López, "for his responsibility in the escape of 41 detainees (...), for not informing in a timely manner about these events and for not taking the corresponding measures regarding the blockade" carried out the previous Sunday on "the Santa Marta - Barranquilla road, at the height of Tasajera."
"I do not accept in the Public Force those who lack the courage and determination to confront crime and wrongdoing as is appropriate," he emphasized, also making it clear that "in this Government, cowardice has no place."
Nevertheless, he has called for calm among the population and wanted to emphasize that "these are not high-risk criminals" and that, under his direction, the security forces are "deploying all capabilities to locate and recapture them."
Meanwhile, "Colonel Urriago, second in command, will temporarily assume command," until the arrival this week of "Colonel Jimmy Belalcázar as the new commander." "Santa Marta needs leadership, character, and judgment," the president has stated.