Colombia: Thwarted Clan del Golfo attack in Córdoba

Event

An explosive device was discovered on a road in a rural area of Córdoba department’s Canalete municipality on Thursday, April 12. Police believe it had been placed there, possibly by the Clan del Golfo crime syndicate, to be detonated when a police caravan passed through the area. The device was destroyed via controlled explosion.

The same modus operandi was used on April 11 in Antioquia department, leading to the deaths of eight police officers. An explosive device was set off when the officers were traveling on a road in San Pedro de Urabá municipality. That attack has also been attributed to the Clan del Golfo. Another similar attack occurred in Canalete in September 2017, which left three police officers dead.

Context

The Clan del Golfo - also referred to as the AGC (Autodefensas Gaitanistas de Colombia) - is considered the largest drug trafficking organization in Colombia today. The group has a significant presence in the northwest of the country, home to major drug trafficking routes. Colombia’s armed forces have been involved in an intense campaign against the cartel over the past two years; according to estimates, the group’s size has been reduced to some 2000-3000 members (down from 4000).

Paramilitary crime organizations (BACRIM) such as the Clan del Golfo have replaced leftist guerrillas as the most serious armed threat in Colombia. These groups have moved into territory left by the demobilized FARC guerilla group, leading to violent turf wars as well as assassinations of local landowners and community leaders.

Advice

Due to the presence of a number of armed groups - including drug cartels, right-wing militias, and local gangs, and the ELN guerilla group - some Western governments advise against travel to various regions of the country, including parts of Córdoba and Antioquia.