Colombian President Deploys Army to Santa Marta After Drug Gang Violence

Colombian President Álvaro de la Espriella ordered army troops into Santa Marta on Tuesday after an armed group attacked commercial establishments and set vehicles ablaze across the Caribbean coastal city.

Violence erupts in northern Colombia

Online videos showed armed individuals riding motorcycles through the northern city, firing at open shops, burning trucks, and blocking roads. Several areas of Santa Marta appeared deserted in the early morning hours amid rumors that the armed group had imposed movement restrictions on residents.

Military response follows targeted operation

The violence followed President de la Espriella’s announcement that authorities had killed 13 members of a group calling itself the “Open Self-Defense Forces of the Sierra Nevada,” which controls cocaine trafficking routes. In a recorded statement, de la Espriella said: “I have ordered the deployment of the army in Santa Marta.”

He added that “these criminals are attempting to burn a large part of the Caribbean region” in retaliation for the military operation against the group, warning that “those who do not surrender will be eliminated.”

Security forces reinforce key zones

A police spokesperson told AFP that security forces had increased their presence in the city’s commercial districts. Army units were also deployed along the highway linking Santa Marta to La Guajira department, near the Venezuelan border, where the group operates.

De la Espriella, a U.S.-backed billionaire, assumed office last August and pledged a hardline approach toward Colombia’s numerous drug trafficking organizations.