Colombia’s San Andres hit by homicides, disappearances

[Judi Lynn]

Colombia’s San Andres hit by homicides, disappearances
Sep 1, 2014 posted by Matt Sterne

General Rodolfo Palomino arrived in San Andres with a group of 50 police officers on Monday in response to a recent uptick in violent crimes, homicides, and disappearances, according to reports by the national police.
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Palomino will be meeting with the local prosecutor’s office on Monday in order to establish measures that can restore security to the island.

San Andres, recently voted ‘Leading Beach Destination in South America’ at the 2014 World Travel Awards, has seen eleven murders this year to date, five of them apparently linked to territorial disputes between criminal gangs.
Local authorities are attributing the escalation in violence to drug trafficking and over-population.

Last Thursday an Argentine tourist, Luciano Narcisi, 29, was shot in an attempted robbery while walking with his pregnant wife. He was taken to Bogota and survived. On Wednesday, an employee of a local shop, 23, was shot dead, and Saturday morning Marco Antonio Quintana Arrieta, 33, was killed after receiving two shots when driving home in the area of ​​San Luis.

On June 7, a tourist from Bogota disappeared in the early hours when he left his hotel to buy cigarettes and never returned. The authorities have failed to establish what happened to the young man. The homicides remain unresolved, and no arrests have been made.

More:
http://colombiareports.co/police-chief-travels-san-andres-wake-crime-wave/