The Childhood and Adolescence Police documented over 900 cases of minors in recurring begging during the investigation. Photo credit: City of Medellín.

The operation, named ‘The Hidden Face of Charity,’ was carried out by Colombian authorities in the city’s Calle 10 area in Poblado and the neighborhoods of Carpinelo, Santa Cruz, and Boston. The detained individuals include both Colombian and Venezuelan nationals.

Authorities launched ‘The Hidden Face of Charity’ operation in Medellín’s Calle 10, Carpinelo, Santa Cruz, and Boston neighborhoods. Photo credit: City of Medellín.

According to a statement from Medellín’s Secretary of Security and Coexistence, the network allegedly used babies as young as one month old and children up to five years of age to solicit money and goods. The operation targeted high-traffic tourist areas, including Parque Lleras and Provenza in El Poblado, where members of the network would approach foreigners to ask for essential items such as milk, diapers, medicine, and food, in addition to cash.

“What they did was exploit girls and boys, even newborns, whom, in many cases, their own mothers handed over to women of Venezuelan nationality to be used in begging activities. They changed their clothes to simulate conditions of greater vulnerability and then approached them, especially tourists, generating pity to receive aid in diapers and milk, which were later sold in the city center,” said Mayor Federico “Fico” Gutiérrez. “None of those resources were actually intended for the children. It was all part of a network set up for economic gain, exploiting minors and deceiving those who, in good faith, believed they were helping.”

The operation targeted tourist spots in El Poblado where the network solicited milk, diapers, medicine, food, and cash from foreigners. Photo credit: City of Medellín.

The investigation, which was a joint effort involving the Fiscalía General de la Nación (Prosecutor General’s Office) and the National Police of Colombia, found that the donated and collected goods were later resold. The network’s activities generated an estimated $180 million Colombian COP (approximately $45,000 USD) per month in revenue from both cash and the resale of products.

The mayor explained that, according to the evidence gathered, it was found, for example, that foreigners bought a case of milk for $250,000 (about $60 USD) at a pharmacy, and the criminals resold it for a lower price elsewhere in the city. Indigenous people were given a commission for allowing their children to be used.

The investigation was a joint effort by Colombia’s Fiscalía General de la Nación and National Police. Photo credit: City of Medellín.

Investigators utilized undercover agents, telephone interceptions, and extensive surveillance to gather evidence against the suspects. During the investigation period, the city’s Childhood and Adolescence Police division documented over 900 cases involving the protection of minors found in recurrent begging situations, highlighting the scale of the problem.

Manuel Villa Mejía, the head of the Secretariat of Security and Coexistence for the Mayor’s Office of Medellín, affirmed the city’s commitment to protecting the rights of minors. He stated that the operation was a coordinated action with law enforcement to put an end to criminal practices that were affecting merchants, tourists, and the local community.

The seven captured individuals have been turned over to the Fiscalía General de la Nación to face judicial proceedings. Authorities have indicated that the investigation will continue in an effort to identify and apprehend other individuals connected to the exploitation ring and to ensure the restoration of rights for the affected children.

Seven arrested in Medellín for exploiting Embera Katío children in forced begging. Photo credit: City of Medellín.

Today there are approximately 12,000 hotels and 120,000 Airbnb hosts in Colombia according to Cotelco and Asohost respectively. In December 2023 alone, Airbnb alone recorded more than $87M USD in payouts in a single month to property owners across the country. In 2024 it is likely that Airbnb will pay out nearly $1billion to their Colombian hosts (AirDNA). President Gustavo Petro called tourism “one of the largest drivers of economic well being”, ex-President Ivan Duque called tourism “Colombia’s new petroleum”. Indeed the country has come a long way since 2008.

My own humble beginnings started with a single Airbnb listing in 2010 when Airbnb first opened the market in Medellin. I was literally a pioneer. One listing became 2, then 3, and today more than 500, making my company Casacol the largest Airbnb operator in Medellin. Adding this to our 350 room hotel operations makes us the largest tourism operator in Medellin. More than 250 foreign investors have followed me and the international promotional activities of Procolombia, ACI Medellin and the Ministry of Commerce to help me build and acquire more than $100M USD in Medellin real estate. We sell almost 20,000 rooms per month only in the city of Medellin and support almost 300 direct full time jobs, and hundreds more indirectly. The growth of my company has been nothing but meteoric in line with the growth of tourism in Medellin and Colombia.

Minister German Umaña and Procolombia President Carmen Caballero recently presented a showcase for foreign investment in Colombian tourism infrastructure at the prestigious Raffles Hotel in London which charges guests $1,000 a night. The topic was sustainable tourism and this is the question that I think all foreign investors and local participants have in mind; is tourism quantity and quality in Colombia sustainable? Recently I have had my doubts.

We are ready to work collaboratively with policy makers for a brighter, more sustainable future for all 50 million Colombians with responsible and sustainable tourism as our core values.

In the last 5 years and especially exiting the COVID period, I have been a front row witness to a precipitous decline in tourism quality in Medellin. Our colleagues in Cartagena have reported similar concerns. Social media overflows with content that promotes what can be called international dating at best and just plain sex tourism more appropriately. Not to mention foreigners who wish to obtain cheap cocaine or experiment with locally manufactured synthetic substances can freely indulge with impunity. Colombia has recently been more and more a meeting place for the supply and demand for low quality tourism and their counterparties. 

On March 28, 2024, we too became victims when an Aribnb tourist was reported to police with 2 underage victims of presumed sexual abuse. Our property was smeared with the association to the accused despite our strict policies and best efforts being thwarted by the individual. To add insult to injury, politicians suggested that property could now be subject to asset forfeiture, a risk that every investor in Colombian hospitality small and large now has to evaluate.

Colombia is indeed at an inflection point with respect to its reputation in the world. Medellin has recently invoked a brand for the city “aqui todo florece,” and Colombia “the country of beauty.” But responsible tourism in Colombia can start with policy makers inside Colombia collaborating with governments around the world. There are more than 850,000 registered sex offenders in the United States visible in public databases. The Angel Watch Center from the Department of Homeland Security is designed to alert foreign law enforcement about Americans convicted with sex crimes that might be traveling to their countries. Colombia doesn’t yet participate in the program. Countries like Canada work with the US on reciprocal programs like NCIC/CPIC to ensure that any criminal record (of any kind) registered on a citizen of one country means automatic denied entry into the other country. Australia and the UK have similar programs. Colombia would be wise to explore cooperation with those governments to ensure those of us in the private sector never have to deal with criminal tourists in the first place.

But this is not to mention the true victims in this story. How can we overlook the deep social problems that allow for human trafficking in the first place? Where are the parents, where are the grandparents and who are they? What kind of conditions did these children grow up in? What kind of education did they have, if any at all? Were they caught in the vicious cycle of Colombian poverty that the OECD reports takes 11 generations for a Colombian child born today to escape? This is where Colombian policy makers have some deep soul searching to do.

But tourism can be part of the solution. Tourism is a labor intensive industry that benefits every single socioeconomic strata. The workers needed to pour the cement, lay the bricks, the engineers and architects who design the hotels and restaurants where they eat and drink. Every taxi and Uber driver which shuttles the tourists to and from museums, parks, beaches, attractions. The cooks, waiters, baristas. To the maids, receptionists, security guards who keep them safe while they sleep. And the entrepreneurs large and small, local and foreign who risk their capital to develop the infrastructure to bring them to Colombia in the first place. If tourism in Colombia (2% of GDP) rises to meet only the level of Spain (12%) there would be millions of Colombians lifted from poverty into stable, decent jobs in the formal economy.

Brad Hinkelman

I think I speak on behalf of every foreign investor, every hotel owner in Colombia, every Airbnb host when I say we are ready. We are ready to work collaboratively with policy makers for a brighter, more sustainable future for all 50 million Colombians with responsible and sustainable tourism as our core values. But please don’t threaten our capital, our private property. Please don’t break the social contract between the private and public sector based on the criminal action and intent of a few. Colombia can define its place and image in the World, and transform its society with a robust tourism industry. But only through a national tourism policy that protects its citizens, investors, and tourists alike.

Brad Hinkelman is the founder and CEO of Casacol.

The edict was issued during the first month in office of newly elected Mayor Federico “Fico” Gutierrez, who previously served as the city’s mayor from 2016-2019, and applies to the following areas:

• Parque Lleras and surrounding streets
• La 33 (including Calle 37 between Carreras 43a and 54, and between the Autopista and Carrera 80 in both directions)
• La Candelaria (from Calle Colombia to Rojas Pinilla, between Calle Bolivar and Calle Cúcuta, including Plaza de Botero and Parroquia de la Veracruz)
• Corredor de la 70 (from Carrera 70 to Carrera 68a, between Calle 47d and Circular 1).

The time and location restriction only applies to unaccompanied minors. Children are permitted if they are with a parent.

Medellín has increased its efforts to combat this scourge and spread awareness in recent years. Signage announcing zero-tolerance policies for this grave crime can be seen on the windows or doors of many hotel and hostels, especially in the tourism and foreign resident hotspot of El Poblado.

Parque Lleras, one of the restricted areas, is in neighborhood’s nightlife zone and well known as a center for soliciting prostitution. The increase of sex tourism, and major presence of foreigners in general, in Poblado has led to a growing, visible backlash in recent years by locals who point to what they see as some downsides to Colombia’s big uptick in international tourism in recent years.

(Photo credit: ProColombia)

According to the Tourism Observatory of the District Personnel of Medellín, the number of thefts committed against foreign visitors excluding Venezuelans increased 200 percent in the third trimester of 2023 compared to the previous year and violent deaths of foreign visitors increased 29 percent.  Most of the 2023 violent death victims were US citizens.   

As a service to readers, this message has been reprinted in its entirety as issued by the US Embassy in Bogotá.

Criminals use dating apps to lure victims to meet in public places such as hotels, restaurants, and bars, and then later assault and rob them.  Numerous US citizens in Colombia have been drugged, robbed, and even killed by their Colombian dates.   

Over the last year, the Embassy has seen an increase in reports of incidents involving the use of online dating applications to lure victims, typically foreigners, for robbery by force or using sedatives to drug and rob individuals.  The Embassy regularly receives reports of these types of incidents occurring in major cities, including, but not limited to,Medellin, Cartagena, and Bogota.  These types of crimes routinely go underreported as victims are embarrassed and do not want to follow through with the judicial process.   

All visitors to Colombia should be vigilant, maintain heightened situational awareness, and incorporate strong personal security practices into their activities.   

The full advisory is available at https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Colombia.html 

Actions to Take: 

Be cautious if using online dating apps in Colombia.   

If meeting with a stranger, you should strongly consider meeting only in public places and avoiding isolated locations, such as residences or hotel rooms, where crimes are most likely to occur.  

If inviting an individual that you just met to your residence or hotel room, speak to your door attendant/concierge beforehand and establish a policy as to what information your new visitor should provide before being authorized entry (photo of identification, etc.) and what process should be followed when your visitor departs. 

Tell a friend or family member of your plans, including where you are going, details of the person you are meeting, and the app you used to meet them.  Victims who are targeted via online dating applications tend to have their electronic devices stolen which often contain all evidence of communication with the assailants.  

Do not physically resist any robbery attempt.  Victims of crime who resist robbery are more likely to be killed. 

Trust your instincts– if something does not feel right, do not hesitate to walk away from a situation.  

Assistance: 

U.S. Embassy Bogota, Colombia 
Tel. +57-1-275-2000 or 601-275-2000 
acsbogota@state.gov 
https://co.usembassy.gov/ 

U.S. Consular Agency, Barranquilla 
conagencybarranquilla@state.gov 

U.S. Department of State – Consular Affairs 
1-888-407-4747 or 1-202-501-4444 

Colombia Country Information  

Enroll in Smart Traveler Enrollment Program  to receive security updates 

The new large location, which has a 3,288-square-meter sales floor and a parking lot with 283 spaces, is the result of $32 million USD investment and will generate some 170 jobs, according to the San Diego, California-based membership-only warehouse company.

This will add to the more than 1,600 employees that the company already has in Colombia.

PriceSmart says that $4 million USD of this total went toward using sustainable construction practices, including the addition of a green roof, wastewater treatment, LED lighting, cooling system, and tree planting plan.

The ribbon cutting for PriceSmart’s second location in Medellín, Colombia. (Photo credit: PriceSmart)

This marks the 10th store for PriceSmart in Colombia and number 52 overall across 13 countries. Colombia is so far PriceSmart’s only South American market, but it is the country with the largest footprint in terms of location count, with stores in Medellín, Bogotá, Chia, Cali, Barranquilla, Pereira, and Bucaramanga.

The company operates primarily in the Caribbean and Central America, where it has eight locations in Costa Rica, seven in Panama, and six in Guatemala.

PriceSmart also has stores spread across Nicaragua, El Salvador, Hondura, the Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Aruba, Barbados, and the US Virgin Islands.

The second Pricesmart, well under construction on the road known as Transversal Inferior (Carrera 32) in the leafy (but congested) neighborhood of San Lucas in Medellín’s affluent Poblado district. While no one from Pricesmart said so, documents obtained by Finance Colombia seem to indicate that the opposition is spearheaded by new Medellín city councilwoman Claudia Marcela Ramirez Echeverri, a member of ex-President Alvaro Uribe’s Centro Democrático political party.

Finance Colombia was able to arrange an exclusive interview, presented below, with Andrés Romero, Pricesmart’s country manager for Colombia to “clear the air” and present Pricesmart’s position with regards to allegations that the new site’s construction permits and business licenses are out of order. Romero assures shopers and investors that everything is in order, and promises Poblado residents that Pricesmart is a good corporate citizen and that the new store will be a good neighbor.

Finance Colombia: My first question is: the part of Medellín where you are building the second Pricesmart known as San Lucas, Poblado has a little bit of infamy for its traffic congestion. What was the thinking behind choosing this location? Obviously, it’s one of the highest income areas of Medellín, equivalent to Chicó in Bogotá; but what was the strategy in choosing this part of the city that doesn’t have very good traffic flow?

Andrés Romero: To that point, when we did the study, we evaluated various factors. One very important one is where we have the most active members. Where can the company be most beneficial to the members of Pricesmart? We want to be as close as possible to our members, minimizing their travel across the city. That creates a positive impact on the city’s mobility. It also increases our level of service.

On the theme of mobility, our design also contextualizes functionality that allows us to operate mitigating the impact of, and eases the access to the club. We have planned on a service [entry] way that eases the traffic flow for our members, and we have also attended the comments and requests of the authorities to improve the design. One item for example is a ramp that had an 18 degree incline, we adjusted it to a 16 degree incline specifically at the request of the control entities, to ensure a flexible, fluid process.

Finance Colombia: That’s one thing I like about the store you have in La Mota (neighborhood in Belén, Medellín where the existing Pricesmart is located). That zone also has a lot of traffic, but you have an innovative design, a space like a patio where cars can enter, and taxis and delivery services like Rappi can come in and wait, and not impede traffic. Across the street, a big new mall came and there is a lot of congestion, but it’s not caused by Pricesmart.

My question is, you started apparently with all the correct licenses and permits, but what happened? Did you have conversations with the neighbors and the surrounding community before starting? Where did this opposition come from?

Andrés Romero: The first thing would be important to indicate that our licenses are the same from the beginning; they have not changed. We have done all the paperwork before all the government entities of the city; the control entities, attending to their requirements and providing all the information that has been requested in order to comply with everything of course. We have been working since the planning stages, going through the process right now of construction, and soon with training.

With our second club in the city of Medellín, what has been presented is completely natural, talking with the community and concerns arise, for example about what time the club will operate, etc. We have been very open to meet with [the community], to talk to them, we have met with them to discuss the generalities of the new club. We have always attended to each of the requirements. [We] have not been negligent at any time; on the contrary. We have been very up front with response times. So much so, that for example last week we had a very good meeting with the city of Medellín, where we met with planning, with the transportation police, many of the actors that have been involved with the whole process to be able to attend to all the concerns that have arisen.

I can mention for example, two important aspects. One, the police inspectors visited us and found everything within the rules, everything working according to the regulations, and that is why the work continues to operate. Also, the things we do in response to those meetings with businesses and the community, with our neighbors in this case. Well, the cover of the parking lot has been changed to a green design based on input from the community in those meetings.

I can assure you that from the start we have done all processes correctly, complying with all the norms, both thematically as well as legally to guarantee that we are positively involved with the community, that we contribute to the development of the community, and of the city.

Finance Colombia: I find it strange that Pricesmart has always had a good reputation with regards to ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance), its social commitment here in Colombia, but also in Panamá, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Costa Rica, in many locations, and the company hasn’t had trouble. Quite the reverse, consumers want to have a local Pricesmart. Pricesmart carries a lot of items that are hard to find in the locations where it operates. Pricesmart is always doing things in the local schools and communities.

In Colombia, a publicly viewable sign must be displayed vat construction sites providing property & permitting details. Pricesmart’s  appears to be in order. (photo: Loren Moss)

My question is this: You apparently took out the necessary permits. The construction advisory sign that is mandatory for construction projects in Colombia is up and displayed at your construction site listing all the approvals and licenses, I went and checked for myself yesterday. Colombia has a reputation for legal certainty, at least for Latin America, and you operate in much more difficult places. Some of the locations where you operate in Central America are much more difficult, but at your construction site, you already have the roof in place.

How is it that the government can after issuing all the licenses and permits, change their mind, or I don’t know how that works, but how can they try to revoke the licenses as in this process? And how are you going to fight this to get legal certainty or “páz y salvo” (peace and safe) as they say here in Colombia, with the local government?

Andrés Romero: Well the first thing I would like to mention is that the company operates very calmly. We have certainly complied with all the procedures before the government entities. As you mentioned, we have a presence in several countries…We operate in thirteen countries, we have 50 clubs and counting, where in each of these openings, we have done everything corresponding to compliance with all the rules and everything that has to do with the legal and juridical components. Among other things, we as a public company in the United States are obliged to maintain an ethical line of the highest level, where we are not allowed for any reason to miss any of these commitments or corporate values, and compliance at the international level in all of the markets where we operate. We are very strict with that, and likewise the licenses were ideal as you mentioned, handled in the correct, transparent way.

Construction on Pricesmart’s Poblado location continues unabated. (photo: Loren Moss)

So things at the moment, we have complied with any requests by the authorities, and all the answers that are related to the issues impacting us at the time. Now particularly with the revocation you talk about, it is a process that we are monitoring, and we will give a response when we receive an official statement. But in the end what I can tell you is that we are completely sure of the processes we have carried out from day zero until today. That gives us a completely clear path to where we want to go, where we are always going, hand in hand with the community, with the control entities, and obviously with all the departments that are part of the organization in the function of being able to always bring to fruition our projects.

And in this case, we expect to open our doors to the community more or less in August.

Finance Colombia: You have been very generous with your time, so this is the last question: ESG is very important with investors. When you open the doors, at this newest, what I would imagine is the most modern Pricesmart…You already mentioned innovations with the roof. I see it will have three floors. How are you using the space? It is in a limited-space location For example at the Bogotá location off 26^th Ave. (Avenida El Dorado), or the other Medellín location, space is at a premium so you put the parking lot under the building to maximize use of space.

What new or novel innovations can we expect to see in your next, newest Pricesmart?

Andrés Romero: Look, I could tell you that right now we have a lot of focus on offering this building with a very positive environmental impact. Yes, everything…our cooling system is CO₂ based, which is the most modern and most environmentally friendly technology. That is a point that I think is quite important to highlight. Another is that we will have a state of the art wastewater treatment plant, probably one of the most modern in the country, where we are going to guarantee that the water is treated and very clean, even before we release it into the public sewer.

All of our lighting will be LED that will have a positive impact, a savings that contributes to the reduction of CO₂ emissions and pollution to the environment. It is also important to mention that the club will have a very innovative design with the floor plan. The sales floor will be on the first level and parking will be on the second floor. This is done with a view towards efficiency from both a construction standpoint, but also so that we can offer our members a facility that is completely comfortable and secure for everyone who visits our excellent new club.

Finance Colombia: I know you are very busy managing your existing stores here in Colombia, not to mention this process with the new one, so thank you very much for your time. Construction is a stressful process even when things go perfectly, so I know you have your hands full. Much success to you.

Andrés Romero: We are working very hard, without rest so that we can achieve this objective, and we hope to see you at our grand opening in August!

Readers, share your comments & opinions below. Are you a Pricesmart member?

The new PriceSmart is being built on Transversal Inferior, a two-lane one-way residential feeder road. (photo: Loren Moss)

PriceSmart is a successful chain of warehouse-club style stores that while headquartered in San Diego, California, operate exclusively in Latin America and the Caribbean, with no stores within the US 50 states or México. Well loved in Colombia, it is no surprise that the company chose to open a second Medellín location, though the Poblado location, a residential area already infamous for traffic congestion is questionable when new high-capacity roadways are being constructed in the nearby, commercialized Las Palmas area, also easily accessible by the high-income bedroom communities of El Retiro, La Fé, and Llanogrande.

The urban curate, or Curaduría, is the local authority in Colombian municipalities responsible for enforcing building regulations and issuing (or not) construction permits.

Exclusive Interview: Pricesmart Assures All Permits In Order For Poblado, 2nd Medellín & 10th Colombia Location Pledges To Be A Good Neighbor (click here)

The curate issued the following decree (translated by Finance Colombia):

THROUGH WHICH A DIRECT REVOCATION PROCESS IS BEGUN

The Second Urban Curate of Medellín, according to Appointment Decree 0381 of the19th of June 2018, in use of its legal powers and especially those conferred by the Laws 388 of 1997, 1801 of 2016, 1437 of 2011, as well as National Decrees 2150 of 1995 and 1077 of 2015

CONSIDERING

1. That through 202330016551 sent on January 20, 2023, by the Undersecretary of Management and Territorial Control of the District of Medellín, informs that in exercising the functions of urban control and taking into account the presentation of various complaints by Councilwoman Claudia Marcela Ramírez Echeverri, an exhaustive review of administrative acts was ordered through which the PRICESMART project was approved in the property located at 32^nd street with South 11th Avenue.
2. That in developing the function of urban control, said dependency requested detailed information on the advance procedure for the issuance of the urban planning license to the project, for which supporting documentation was requested through the filed document 202230497081 of November 17, 2022. This document was in response to the files 202210411050 of December 6 and 202210412631 of December 7.
3. That the Secretary of Management and Territorial Control of the District, upon receiving the information submitted by this office, proceeded to carry out its analysis, in coordination with the approved urban planning licenses and the applicable regulatory framework, which conceptualizes:
   • The licenses were granted without fulfilling the requirements demanded in the applicable urban regulations, contained in Agreement 62 of 1999, Agreement 23 of 2000 and its respective regulatory file and the provisions of the Agreement 38 of 1990
   • The number of floors and parking spaces does not conform to what is allowed in the residential use areas.
     

     Pricesmart Poblado mandatory construction poster (photo: Loren Moss)

   • There is a mixed application of the standards for commercial use that is contrary to the land use regime.
   • The technical concept was never requested from the Administrative Department of Planning, as contemplated by the norm for the application of previously restricted uses, as for department stores.
4. That, based on this analysis, the Urban Curate is requesting the initiation of the process of direct revocation of the administrative acts through which the PRICESMART project, because in its judgement, in the issuance of the administrative procedures did not take into account the urban regulations adopted in the Agreements 38 of 1990, 62 of 1999, Decree 568 of 2011, since it is considered on the part of the district entity that the issuance of the licenses was carried out in opposition to the law and the constitution and violate the public interest that [the curate] seeks to protect with urban regulations.
5. That, based on this request, the order is to proceed with the review of the decision and inform the municipal administration within ten (10) business days following receipt of the request.
6. That, in order to meet the District’s request, [the curate] is initiating the process, taking note that:
   • Article 2.2.6.1.2.3.10 of National Decree 1077 of 2015 authorizes the application of direct revocation to the administrative act that grants the planning license, making express reference to the procedure enshrined in the Code of Administrative Procedure and Administrative Litigation, specifying that:
     1. They are competent to advance the direct revocation of the licenses, the same curator who issued the act or whoever has been designated as such by means of an administrative act of a provisional or definitive manner, or the municipal or district mayor or his delegate.
     2. They may request the direct revocation of the licenses of the same applicants, the adjoining neighbors of the object property, as well as third parties and competent administrative authorities that have become part of the Procedure.
     3. During the direct revocation process, the file will remain available to the parties for consultation and issuance of copies and the interested party must be summoned, as well as third parties who may be affected by the decision, in order for them to participate and assert their rights. For this purpose, from the beginning of the action, they will be informed, by means of an official letter that will be communicated to the persons indicated above, the reasons that support the process. A term of ten (10) business days will be granted for them to respond to interrogatories.
     4. Once the interrogatories have been carried out and within the term established by the Code of Administrative Procedure and Administrative Litigation to resolve the procedure, the decision will be adopted.
     5. The term to resolve requests for direct revocation is two (2) months from the day after the date of submission of the application. If this term expires without resolution of the request, it will be understood that the request for revocation was denied.
     6. The direct revocation of administrative acts will not proceed with respect to which the petitioner has exercised the remedies.
   • Article 3 of Law 1437 of 2011 establishes the principles that must be taken into account in administrative action, and specifies that by virtue of due process ‘administrative actions will be carried out inaccordance with the rules of procedure and competence established in the constitution and the law, with full guarantee of the rights of representation, defense and contradiction.
   • Articles 93 to 97 of Law 1437 of 2011 enshrine the procedure to advance the direct revocation procedure, specifying in article 97 that when it comes to the revocation of a particular and concrete act “it may not be revoked without the prior, express and written consent of the respective owner”
   • For the Council of State “The direct revocation consists of its own tool of the authorities in administrative headquarters and without validation of prior judicial process, which can be initiated ex-officio or at the request of a party, consisting of the modification or substantial change of firm decisions that have been adopted as a unilateral manifestation of the respective public entity and that have created general or particular legal situations, provided that they are matched with one or more causes or events of provenance provided for in article 93 of the CPACA (EC, Contentious Administrative Chamber, No 17001-23-33-000-2017-00100-02(4103-18),2020, Considerations).
   • This high court ratifies that “the prohibition of revoking administrative acts that: “have created or modified a legal situation of particular and concrete character or recognized a right of equal category” except in the prior, express and written consent of the owner of the respective right. The Chamber notes that, with regard to the possibility that the administration had to revoke administrative acts of a particular nature, in the events in which any of the grounds for revocation already mentioned, in the case of positive facts, or if the illegality in its issuance is evident, the same disappears from the new statute of Administrative Procedure and from Administrative Litigation. Indeed, the two final paragraphs of article 97 of Law 1437 of 2011 prescribe that in cases where the administration considers the unconstitutionality or illegality of an administrative act, or that its issuance took place by illegal or fraudulent means, it must appear before this jurisdiction, to file suit, as long as it do not have the prior, express and written consent of the owner of the rights in the respective administrative act”. (EC, Contentious Administrative Chamber, second section, No 76001-23-31-000-2004-03824-02 (0376-07) 2015 Considerations).
   • Article 99 of Law 388 of 1997, modified by article 35 of Law 1796 of 2016, specifies the scope and consequence of the issuance of the urban planning licenses by stating that “The granting of the urban planning license involves the acquisition of development and construction rights in theterms and conditions contained in the respective administrative act, as well such as certification of compliance with urban regulations and earthquake resistance and other regulations on which it is based and entails the specific authorization on the use and development of the land, whether it is in force or when the work has been executed as long as it has complied with all the obligations established therein.”
   • Article 2.2.6.1.2.1.7 of Decree 1077 of 2015, is clear when determining that it is the responsibility of the Ministry of Housing, City and Territory to determine the requirements for the study and processing of urban license applications, through the issuance of a resolution that so consecrates them, “(…) Without prejudice to the documents that guarantee compliance with the rules of the provisions related to the protection of assets of cultural interest, the territorial ordering plan and the regulations that develop, regulate or complement, in compliance with the provisions in numeral 7 of article 99 of Law 388 of 1997, modified by Article 182 of Decree 019 of 2012, urban planning licenses must be filed and resolved exclusively with the requirements set by the mentioned Resolution”

In light of the foregoing,

BE IT RESOLVED

ARTICLE ONE: INITIATE the procedure of direct revocation of the Resolutions through which urban planning permission was granted to the property identified with real estate registration 001-1374003.

ARTICLE TWO: SEND communication to PRICESMART COLOMBIA SAS, commercial company with NIT 9003197533, who acquired the property by public deed 879 of March 16, 2022, granted by the Notary Public 25 of Medellín, requesting the authorization to revoke the planning licenses granted to the identified property in the first article.

ARTICLE THREE: INFORM the Territorial Management and Control Secretariat of the District of Medellín, the beginning of the process of Direct Revocation of the licenses granted to the property identified with real estate registration 001-1374003.

NOTIFY AND COMPLY

Issued in Medellín on the 3^rd day of February of the year 2023

LUIS FERNANDO BETANCUR MERINO
Second Urban Curate of Medellín
Decre 0381 of 2018
1311-12.4-

Police records show there have been 5,399 cases of theft reported in metro Medellín during the first 9 weeks of 2022 compared to 4,538 cases the year before: an increase of 16%. Medellín proper is showing a rise in property crime of 20%, while Envigado has managed to remain stable with only a 1% increase.

Thefts in Medellín are becoming more brazen and violent, and often victims are attacked as part of the theft even when not resisting. In 2021, 19 foreigners died violent deaths in Medellín. Just last month, Australian Nat Ware was shot in the tourist neighborhood of El Poblado in a robbery, even after giving up his valuables. Ware was in Medellín to launch a program training low income Colombians in technology, preparing them for professional employment.

The same month, expatriate contact center executive Manuel Morales was gunned down after leaving the El Tesoro shopping mall in the exclusive Las Palmas area of the city. Also in February, the diners at the luxury Click Clack hotel in Medellín were robbed when a thief dressed in black and wearing a bulletproof vest brazenly walked in and held a stickup, robbing jewels, smartphones and wallets.

Hurto masivo Anoche en el hotel Click clack en el poblado.

Sujeto ingresa con arma de fuego y
Se robo varias joyas de alto valor , celulares, billeteras. Estaba en la puerta del restaurante @PoliciaMedellin @region6policia @seguridadmed @sebaslopezv @QuinteroCalle pic.twitter.com/t4kPphRg9n

— Denuncias Antioquia (@DenunciasAntio2) February 26, 2022

Rising Homicides

While homicides are near historic lows, and a tiny fraction of the high of 6,809 in 1991 during the drug wars, they are rising significantly. In 2021 there were 9.2% more homicides than the year before, a historic low of 369, even lower than the crime rates in the 1970s. The tourist mecca of Poblado has seen a 400% increase in homicides going from 2 to 10, and the quieter, but still popular Laureles neighborhood has seen homicides rise 78% from 9 to 16.

Lower income neighborhoods are also seeing an increase. On the city’s north side, away from exclusive hotels and fancy restaurants, Manrique has seen a 54% increase in homicides, and Aranjuez a 36% rise.

Where is the mayor?

They mayor of Medellin since 2020, Daniel Quintero has a public relations slogan: “Medellín va bien,” or “Medellín is going well.” Last October, he tweeted “In Medellín, committing crimes is getting more and more difficult. When the civic group “Medellín Como Vamos” conducted polling on public sentiment that showed growing discontent with his administration, he dismissed the group as being funded by local businesspeople and presenting selective data. Though in his same tweet touting how tough it was for criminals, he showed a graphic that cherry picked data showing a homicide reduction for the month of September and for youth homicide.

En Medellín cometer crímenes es cada vez más difícil: En septiembre tuvimos una reducción del 15 % en homicidios, comparado con el mismo mes del año pasado. Además presentamos una reducción del 75 % en los homicidios a menores de edad. Toda vida es sagrada. pic.twitter.com/tkkdTExCPY

— Daniel Quintero Calle (@QuinteroCalle) October 1, 2021

Four weeks after the mayor’s “tough on crime” tweet, a spectacular gold heist, like something out of a Hollywood movie, took place on the busy Las Vegas Avenue, again in the higher income, international-friendly Poblado district. At least 11 criminals made off with over 3 kilograms of gold.

July of last year, 15 heavily armed thieves dressed as police and SIJIN (Colombia’s police task force responsible for working with Interpol) stole 400 million pesos in cash and 12 kilograms of gold from the Forum office building in Medellín’s wealthy “Milla de Oro” (Golden Mile) business district, just steps from the Santa Fe shopping mall.

Safety for visitors

Last week, two Chilean visitors to Medellín were robbed at gunpoint of their Rolex watches in Las Palmas near a major thoroughfare. Fortunately for them, the police reacted quickly and were able to recover the timepieces and make arrests.

#Medellin | una hora después de estos hechos, en una rápida acción Policial y la articulación de las cámaras de la ciudad, se logra recuperar los elementos hurtados a esas dos personas e inmovilizar los vehículos dónde se movilizaba los delincuentes >>> pic.twitter.com/WGbHXD8hPN

— Guardianes Antioquia Oficial (@Guardianes_Ant) March 19, 2022

While no one deserves to be a victim of crime, there are several common sense measures that foreigners and citizens alike can take while visiting Colombia, especially large urban areas, or Caribbean vacation spots. Remember, everything starts with situational awareness. Know your surroundings and be alert at all times.

1. Don’t wear expensive watches or gold necklaces. Colombians don’t, and neither should you. You will not see Colombians walking around with expensive jewelry on the street because of the risk of theft. A pedestrian wearing these expensive items will not look wealthy, he will look clueless.
2. Don’t use your high-end smartphone on a busy street. If you must make or take a call, best to duck into a corner store or coffee shop, buy a soft drink and conduct your business there. If you wish to take a photo, that’s fine but just look around and be sure you aren’t the object of anyone’s attention.
3. Don’t carry lots of cash. The vast majority of retail establishments and commercial restaurants in Colombia accept bank cards like Visa and Mastercard. Leave your stash in your hotel safe, or a secure area of your apartment, and don’t walk around with more cash than you expect to spend that same day. ATMs, or automated cash machines are widespread in Colombian urban areas, and generally work fine with foreign cards enabled for international transactions.  When withdrawing cash or purchasing items with a bank card in Colombia, you may be presented with the option of accepting a conversion from pesos to dollars. Generally you want to decline this, as they are almost certainly offering you an unfavorable rate compared to your own bank or financial services provider. Of course, rural areas and small artisan vendors or “mom & pop” restaurants may not always accept charge cards. Large shopping malls often have options for licensed money exchangers. Be sure to count your money and store it in your wallet or purse before leaving their service counter.
4. Be careful partying with strangers. In the US and Europe, we hear about “date rape drugs.” Similar substances are used in Colombia to rob tourists—and Colombians of their belongings. Even when the police investigate, few tourists have the means in time or money to stick around for the prosecution to make its way through the courts, so with no witness, the criminals eventually go unpunished. Some criminals have a modus operandi targeting foreign visitors, using for example, attractive young women or friendly “bros” who know “where the party’s at” as bait.You may notice that when liquor is ordered at most clubs and bars in Colombia (but not in international hotels), the bottle is opened at your table in your presence. This is to show you that the drink is not adulterated, and the bar staff is not “slipping anything into your drink.” When drinking with people you do not know, do not leave your drinks unattended. Drinking a beer and headed to the restroom? Take your beer with you.

5. Be prudent about transportation. Taxis in Medellín are generally straightforward, and the price in pesos is whatever is shown on the taxi meter. The official white cars to and from the airport operate at a fixed rate, which you should confirm before leaving. In Bogotá, the taxis have a notoriously bad reputation, and even many Colombians avoid them, using either Über, or InDriver ride hailing apps. InDriver has the advantage of allowing the passenger to “make your own offer” of how much you wish to pay. It also takes a much smaller cut of the fare, so the drivers prefer it. In Cartagena, there are no taxi meters so be sure to agree on a price before entering the taxi. Most business hotels also can arrange transportation with providers they know and trust.. You can rent a car in Colombia but understand that there is no legal limit for blood alcohol. Driving with any detectable alcohol in your system whatsoever is an arrestable crime.
6. Don’t abuse drugs! Not only is it illegal in Colombia, and Colombian prisons are not pleasant, illegal narcotics are often a means of delivery of the disabling hallucinogens like Rohypnol or the more common Scopolamine, made from a flowering tree found in Colombia distantly related to the Tomato. Crime victims are often reluctant to report the crime because their drug use will show up in the resultant medical attention. The situation is worse when the victims are not fluent in Spanish, or don’t have resources to pay for medical care. Along abusing drugs, public drunkenness is not only ugly, it puts you at risk for victimization by criminals.

Con apoyo de la tecnología de cámaras de video vigilancia de la ciudad recuperamos los elementos hurtados a 2 ciudadanos extranjeros en el sector Las Palmas.

La denuncia es importante para judicializar a los responsables de este hecho. #ImplacablesContraElDelito @seguridadmed pic.twitter.com/xXaZQEVUhe

— BG. Javier Josué Martín Gámez (@PoliciaMedellin) March 19, 2022

Juan Manuel Barrientos, chef & founder of El Cielo Hospitality Group. Photo: Diego Santacruz

The fine dining enterprise launched by Juan Manuel Barrientos in Colombia has continued to expand despite the pandemic. Anchored by the experiential El Cielo restaurants in Medellín, Bogotá & Miami, El Cielo Hospitality group has stayed busy through temporary shut downs by creating the 28-suite El Cielo Hotel located in Medellin’s Astorga neighborhood near the Poblado Park.

By itself, that would be a feat for any entrepreneur, but almost simultaneously, Barrientos and his team have opened a Washington DC location for his molecular gastronomy focused El Cielo Restaurants, adding to his Miami, Medellín and Bogotá locations. El Cielo has been voted as one of the 50 best restaurants in Latin America.

El Cielo Hotel

El Cielo Hotel in Medellín

El Cielo Hotel is a $15 million USD project that started in January 2019. The 28-room boutique style all-suite hotel is, as are the restaurants, focused on gastronomic and sensory experience. The hotel lobby is actually on the top, fifth floor of the hotel, and the ground floor serves as the new location for El Cielo Medellin.

The basement houses the Navegante Bar, designed to have a clandestine, exclusive feel inspired by the prohibition-era North American speakeasy. The second, third and fourth floors each have eight suites, and another four share the fifth floor with the lobby and welcome lounge.

Rooms are finished in wood and marble, with Egyptian linens, automated illuminations, and 65-inch smart televisions. “El Cielo Hotel is the project with the best luxury experiences in Colombia and one of the best in Latin America. People will live memorable experiences in every moment. Personally, it’s realizing a dream that I have been working on for several years and that I hope continues showing the best of my country,” said chef and CEO Juan Manuel Barrientos.

The hotel’s roof houses a swimming pool and the hotel’s third bar. The pool area has a wellness area for guests, and a fitness space for exercise. The entire building is decorated with vertical gardens featuring native Colombian plants: living walls of flora.

A room in El Cielo Hotel

El Cielo Washington

68-seat El Cielo Washington has opened at Union Market’s La Cosecha, 1280 4^th St. N.E. featuring an a la carte menu fusing traditional Colombian ingredients with Barrientos’ molecular gastronomy innovations. The restaurant features dishes like Yucca Gnocchis, served with sweet plantain honey and pecorino cheese foam; Tuna Watermelon Tataki, a cured tuna tiradito served with cherry tomatoes and achiote; Branzino en Costra de Sal, an entire branzino cooked in a salt crust and served with coconut rice, tamarind, and green plantains.  A la carte dishes are priced between $9 and $68 in the main seating area.

El Cielo Washington DC Main Dining Room

“But wait, there’s more:” Nestled behind the main dining room is an intimate 18-seat fine dining room that offers two progressive menu formats, Journey Menu (15 courses) and The Experience Menu (22 courses) that are inspired in ancestral Colombian cuisine using creative Avant Garde techniques.  The sequence of dishes not only follows a unique journey through Barrientos’s love for his home country but is meant to thrill all five senses: sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste.  For instance, both menus involve immersive moments like the iconic choco-therapy – a ritual where guests wash their hands with liquid chocolate and then get to taste it straight from their fingers, are magically orchestrated at the hands of the talented team.  These menus are priced at $135 and $195 per person.

“El Cielo is an incubator of creativity where my team and I are constantly studying, discovering and executing new ways to tell the story of our country, Colombia,” said Barrientos.  “We are thrilled to be able to open our doors in the nation’s capital and be able to showcase our love for Colombian food using local products and contribute to the excitement of D.C.’s top dining scene.”

In addition to El Cielo’s Medellín, Bogotá, Miami & DC locations, the group also owns Medellín restaurant concepts such as La Serenissima Italian-themed, Cuon Asian-fusion and its 2^nd floor Shibari bar, Papaya Guacamaya in Llanogrande, Cerdologia—a shrine to pork, wellness themed KAI, and Mexican Aguafresca where tacos and mezcal star.

The restaurant is open for dinner Wednesday through Sunday beginning at 4:00PM.  Lunch is available Saturdays and Sundays beginning at 12:00PM. Reservations can be made through the Tock reservation system.  For parties of six or more, the restaurant asks that diners contact them directly at dc@elcielogroup.com.

“There is something unique and attractive about activating all your senses at once, particularly while enjoying a meal.  Our goal is not only to create artistic dishes, but to engage with our guests and create truly memorable culinary experiences,” said Barrientos.

To commemorate Washington DC’s traditional Cherry Blossom Festival, Barrientos and his team have launched the “Cherry Picks Menu” a 3-course menu featuring casual dishes like Colombian empanadas, made with sweet plantain, cheese, potatoes, and spicy peanuts; Lechona, the traditional Colombian suckling pig with elcielo’s twist; Mushroom Ceviche, seasonal mushrooms marinated in lulo sauce, a Colombian fruit; Pollo Criollo – Barriento’s interpretation of the dish made with organic chicken and cooked with hogao (Colombia classic sauce) and fresh herbs.  For the sweet finale, guests can indulge in a traditional street favorite, an Oblea, a round full of Arequipe (dulce de leche) a traditional Colombian caramel; or the Cherry Blossom Dessert a sweet pastry made with sour soup, white chocolate, and a Cherry tartar sweet acid sauce inside.  The menu is priced at $55 per person.  A special seasonal Old-Fashioned cocktail smoked with cherry wood will also be available and priced at $19.  This special menu will run from March 20^th to April 11^th.

Barriento’s design vision of his DC restaurant was executed by Potomac Construction and DesignCase. The firms combined their passion and talent for architecture and impact design to ensure that El Cielo’s style was consistent with sister restaurants in Medellin, Bogota, and Miami.

From a restaurant to an experiential enterprise

Hailing from a family of coffee growers, Juan Manuel Barrientos is the youngest chef to be recognized among the 50 best chefs in Latin America by San Pellegrino’s World’s 50 Best three consecutive years (2013, 2014, 2015).  He honed his craft while working in some of the most acclaimed restaurants in the globe including working with Chef Juan Mari Arzak in Spain and with Chef Iwao Komiyama in Argentina.  An advocate of peace, Barrientos launched the El Cielo Foundation over a decade ago targeting violence in his native Colombia and building the capacity of wounded warriors, former guerrilla soldiers, and indigenous peoples.

El Cielo Hotel lobby staircase, Medellín

Medellín newspaper El Colombiano reported that the three young painters were killed in between the Aguacatala and Poblado stations.

The metro company expressed its regret about the incident and shared its condolences with the families of those who were killed. It added that they artists had entered a prohibited site illegally.

Several stations were closed this morning for several hours as authorities responded to the incident. The system was back to running fully before 9 am, according to El Colombiano.