17 charged with extortion in Colombia, including five prison guards

Colombian prosecutors have indicted 17 people, including five prison guards, on charges of extortion. The accused are allegedly linked to a criminal organization that conducted phone scams from within the high-security El Barne prison in Cómbita, Boyacá department. The National Penitentiary and Prison Institute (Inpec) guards are accused of facilitating the criminal operation.

The investigation suggests the organization was active between January and December 2025. It involved both prison staff and external individuals who played distinct roles in supporting the inmates' extortion calls. Some implicated individuals reportedly gathered sensitive information about victims, such as their financial activities, residences, and family details. This data was then passed to inmates who used it to contact citizens across the country, demanding money under threat.

"Numerous calls were made from El Barne in this manner, with inmates from different blocks calling various regions with agendas in hand, demanding money transfers and deposits in the name of organized armed structures," the Prosecutor's Office stated in a release. Arrests were coordinated with the National Police in Bogotá and several municipalities across Antioquia, Atlántico, Norte de Santander, Santander, Caquetá, Valle del Cauca, and Boyacá.

Among those charged are guards Javier Alexander Hernández, John Fredy Pineda, Cristian Mauricio Arcos, Brayan Esteven Salamanca, and Deivis Maryu Forero. Prosecutors allege they failed in their custodial duties, allowing cell phones and other necessary items for extortion activities to be brought into the prison. None of the defendants accepted the charges. A judge ordered Forero to remain in preventive detention, while the others will continue to be involved in the investigation.