Colombia prison transfers trigger security alerts in Valledupar and Girón

A series of high-profile prison transfers across Colombia has prompted calls for increased security at several correctional facilities. As part of a broader penitentiary operation involving the movement of 117 inmates, high-risk individuals are being relocated to prevent them from directing criminal activities from within prison walls.

In Valledupar, 16 high-profile inmates, including former paramilitary leader Hernán Giraldo Serna, were transferred to the maximum-security prison ‘La Tramacúa’. Valledupar Mayor Ernesto Orozco Durán expressed support for the national government's decision but requested additional police presence, intelligence capabilities, and technological tools to ensure local security.

Simultaneously, the transfer of 17 inmates to the Palogordo prison in Girón has led the prison director, Captain Eleasid Durán, to request reinforced security from the Police and Army. Among those moved was Freyner Alfonso Ramírez García, alias ‘Carlos Pesebre’, linked to the Oficina de Envigado. The director emphasized the need for heightened controls on access roads to protect prison staff and maintain order.