Colombia has long been one of organized crime’s strongest strongholds in South America. From the drug cartel kingpins of the Pablo Escobar era to socialist guerrilla groups trained by Cuba, chaos and terror have plagued the Colombian people for decades.

Now, following four years of Gustavo Petro’s presidency — himself a former guerrilla and ally of Havana — a new right-wing administration is taking the bull by the horns. Leader Abelardo de la Espriella promised a tough stance on crime during his election campaign and in his inaugural address.

His security strategy focuses on directly combating drug cartels that constantly target the United States and reclaiming state control over areas plagued by violence from irregular armed groups.

In his first presidential address, de la Espriella highlighted the role of security forces and outlined a new era for the country, grounded in the strengthening of authority, order, and liberty.

Back in August, he announced plans to build massive prison complexes for high-risk offenders — a move reminiscent of the model implemented in El Salvador by Nayib Bukele. According to the newspaper Línea Directa, these “mega-prisons” will serve a policy of exerting greater control over individuals who pose a threat to the public.

Furthermore, from his very first announcements, the leader pledged direct confrontation with criminal organizations, the strengthening of public security forces, and the use of fumigation to combat illicit coca crops.

And this week, he has been delivering on those promises — in a major way.

The Military Forces, the National Police, and the Colombian Navy dealt a blow to the Clan del Golfo’s illicit gold mining operations in the Bajo Cauca region through the execution of Operation Aquiles. According to local press reports, the operations focused on the Nechí River channel and other rural areas, where uniformed personnel disabled heavy machinery such as excavators, diver-operated dredges, industrial engines, and sorting equipment.

“My order has been clear: to wage an unrelenting fight against the illegal mining that ravages our ecosystems and fuels terrorism. Every machine destroyed in this river means less pollution, less sediment, and less damage to its channel,” stated de la Espriella.

Military counterintelligence determined that the destroyed mining site produced nearly 26.5 kilograms of gold per month. A sub-structure of the Clan del Golfo collected a 15% extortion fee from this output — a revenue stream of approximately $500,000 per month used to sustain its terrorist activities.

It is not only criminal gangs that are reeling from Bogotá’s actions.

Just this week, National Army units struck the logistical networks of dissident factions belonging to the (now-demobilized) Marxist guerrilla group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

The operation took place in the municipality of Briceño, in the department of Antioquia, where troops detected and neutralized an illegal cache of war materiel. The stockpile included high-yield explosives, anti-personnel mines, chemical precursors for the homemade manufacture of destructive devices, and grenades technically modified to be launched via drones.

Furthermore, de la Espriella has not neglected the pursuit of justice regarding the country’s most shocking political assassination in recent years: the June 7, 2025, shooting of Senator and Conservative presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe Turbay during a campaign event in Bogotá, where he was struck by multiple bullets, including two to the head.

At the time, a teenager was arrested as the alleged perpetrator. Under the Petro administration, authorities did not explain to the public who had ordered the crime. Meanwhile, Uribe remained hospitalized for two months and died on August 11, 2025, due to neurological complications resulting from his injuries.

Just a few days ago, de la Espriella himself announced on social media that the National Police and the Air Force had engaged a criminal group in the municipality of Tello; during the operation, a ringleader known by the alias “Robinson Gutiérrez” was killed.

Intelligence records identified the individual as being directly involved in the murder of Uribe Turbay. Furthermore, he ran extortion networks targeting rural farmers, coordinated the forced recruitment of minors, and carried out terrorist acts against communities and public security forces.

Under this government, Colombia can shake off the scab of violence. The benefits will not be confined to its borders but will extend to its neighbors, including the United States.