Colombia plans to house top extortion leaders on navy vessel to curb prison crime
The administration of Abelardo de la Espriella is drafting a scheme to convert a Colombian Navy ship into a floating prison for high-profile extortion figures, aiming to stop their illicit activities from inside land-based facilities.
Facing persistent criminal networks that exploit Colombia's overcrowded prisons, President Abelardo de la Espriella's government is exploring the conversion of a navy ship into a prison to isolate leading extortion syndicates. The Defense and Justice ministries, in partnership with the National Penitentiary and Prison Institute, intend to move these inmates offshore to prevent them from using cellphone networks to direct illegal activities.
The concept resembles a similar, yet unexecuted, plan proposed by Ecuadorian leader Daniel Noboa and revives ideas first floated during Gustavo Petro's tenure. While the administration has also pledged massive new prison complexes, progress on those facilities remains stalled. Historical precedents include the use of prison ships under former President Álvaro Uribe, when high-profile traffickers such as Diego Fernández Montoya were transferred to maritime confinement. Colonel Diego Fernando Gutiérrez Rojas continues to lead INPEC, providing continuity amid broader security reforms.
Why it matters
It shows Colombia adopting unprecedented measures to disrupt organized crime operating from inside prisons.
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