Colombia police crackdown nets 10 arrests in Magdalena and jails 10 traffickers using women couriers

In a coordinated effort known as Operation Fénix, Colombian police captured ten individuals across several municipalities of the Magdalena department. The sweeps in Santa Bárbara de Pinto, Aracataca, Cerro de San Antonio and other towns yielded 250 doses of narcotics, additional drug caches, and three illegal firearms, with suspects linked to the Clan del Golfo.

Separately, the Fiscalía General de la Nación judicialised another ten alleged members of a narcotics network that recruited vulnerable women to smuggle cocaine and marijuana to destinations in Europe, the United States and the Caribbean. The group operated between Medellín and the archipelago of San Andrés, with leaders identified as Carlos Ruiz (“El Mago”) and Humberto Gallardo (“El Negro”). All ten defendants were ordered into pre‑trial detention.

Both actions reflect a broader Colombian law‑enforcement push against drug trafficking and related violent crime.