President De la Espriella Outlines Security Strategy at Barranquilla Council

President Abelardo de la Espriella led an extraordinary security council at the Naval School of Non-Commissioned Officers in Barranquilla to define a plan against organized crime in the city and the Atlántico department. The meeting included Defense Minister Jorge Eduardo Mora, the Governor of Atlántico, the Mayor of Barranquilla, and other metropolitan mayors. De la Espriella announced that narcotics trafficking, extortion, and smuggling will be treated as terrorism, stating that criminals should be fought without special treatment or contemplations. He called for the reactivation of reward systems, raids, and a battle against micro-trafficking to make Barranquilla a laboratory for security. The strategy includes a new camera system for the metropolitan area, social work for youth with the Ombudsman's Office, and the creation of elite bodies of prosecutors and judges to coordinate with the police, army, and navy. Additionally, the president ordered the creation of a national search block to combat extortion and called for greater articulation between the Financial Information and Analysis Unit (UIAF), the military, and banks. While the center-left framing focuses on the specific tactical directives and the hardline shift in military strategy, the center framing emphasizes the government's progress toward campaign promises, noting that the president is currently behind on his 90 day goal to capture or kill 10 high value targets.