Incredibly Stupid American Tourist Robbed of Over $100,000 USD in Notorious Medellín Neighborhood

On Friday, September 19, the Medellín civic security secretary announced that a 25-year-old armed thug was captured after robbing a North American tourist of diamond-studded gold chains and a Rolex watch valued at, according to the mayor’s office, over $120,000 USD. The assailant robbed the tourist using a blank-firing starter pistol.

The police were able to return the jewels to the victim, and the thug is in custody. Neither the victim nor the suspect has been named at the time of publication; however, the mayor’s office shared video and the accompanying photo with Finance Colombia.

Analysis

San Javier, also known as “Comuna 13” on the west side of Medellín, is a low-to-moderate income neighborhood known for its long history of gang and insurgent-related violence. Though the neighborhood is much safer than it was during the worst of Colombia’s violence, it is still controlled by street-level criminals who themselves are controlled by organized crime structures. Though considered safe for backpacker tourists on supervised and guided tours, it remains a low-income area where very few people earn an annual income of $10,000 USD. Walking around anywhere in Latin America, let alone an area where tens of thousands of people live in desperate circumstances, with over $100,000 USD worth of jewelry and watches, is just idiotic. It is difficult to sympathize with anyone possessing such profound stupidity. It is as if the “victim” (both of the thug and his own immense foolishness) donned a siren with a rotating beacon and a loudspeaker that said, “I am a clown! Rob me!

Having said this, there is no excuse for crime. Criminals rarely steal out of hunger, but out of avarice. Hopefully, this thief will be prosecuted and remain in custody, where he is unable to menace others.

Thug arrested in Medellín. Photo credit: City of Medellín.