Betting Retailers in Colombia Face Menace of Rise in Coordinated Assaults

Posted on: August 3, 2022, 07:13h. 

Final up to date on: August 3, 2022, 07:13h.

Regardless of the presence of armed guards, betting retailers in Colombia are coping with a rise in robberies. One explicit chain has change into a repeat goal, with a coordinated assault on over a dozen of its shops happening final Friday.

Gana betting shop
A Gana betting store in Antioquia, Colombia. The chain has been a daily goal of thieves for a number of years. (Picture: El Colombiano)

The assailants hit 13 retailers without delay in numerous neighborhoods of the Colombian metropolis of Medellín, in accordance with media outlet El Colombiano. The assaults occurred within the neighborhoods of San Javier, Belencito and La América.

All areas belong to Gana, an organization that offers in cash remittances and sports activities betting. There was no data on how a lot the thieves took, however police have captured three individuals who participated within the heists.

Taking Down the Home

Happily, no workers had been injured in the course of the assaults. The identical can’t be mentioned for the attackers, although. In one of many retailers, a guard acquired the higher hand and was in a position to injure one of many criminals. The media outlet didn’t specify whether or not he shot the person, nor did it point out the character of the damage.

That assailant’s reign of terror got here to a sudden finish consequently, whereas police later captured two extra in a subsequent pursuit. As well as, they confiscated a car and a firearm, proof that would assist monitor down the remainder of the gang.

This isn’t the primary time Gana has been a goal of criminals. The same scenario performed out final September when armed males raided seven retailers. In that coordinated assault, the thieves stole COP23 million (US$5,308), a small haul contemplating the variety of folks in play. Police captured one thief as he tried to make his getaway.

It might seem that the criminals are getting bolder – they had been from conducting a simultaneous assault on seven retailers to 13. Nonetheless, prior to those two, there was an assault on three retailers in 2018.

They weren’t very profitable, as they solely managed to flee with round $277. To this point, it isn’t clear if the assaults had been carried out by the identical people.

Transitional Interval for Colombia

Colombia has one of many strongest gaming markets in Latin America. Nonetheless, the nation’s present political and social climates are inflicting concern. A brand new left-wing president, Gustavo Petro Urrego, will take workplace on August 7 amid elevated tensions and social unrest.

Petro guarantees to crack down on the unlawful drug commerce and crime, two segments which can be intrinsically intertwined within the nation. Sadly, there was a gentle enhance in each that threatens the nation’s stability.

Assaults on vacationers have gotten extra frequent. This previous weekend, a legal gang stopped a bus in Antioquia. The assault was well-planned for the reason that perpetrators set it up for an space inside a mobile service lifeless zone.

With weapons drawn, the attackers compelled 22 folks to show over their money and private belongings. Though police finally caught two of them, comparable assaults are on the rise. This was the tenth in the identical place prior to now 12 months.

In one other assault this weekend, 50 vacationers grew to become victims of an analogous assault. They had been on a mountaineering journey when a bunch of criminals appeared out of nowhere. They threatened them with weapons and held them for over an hour earlier than escaping with their private belongings.

Certainly one of Colombia’s strongest legal teams, the Gulf Clan, may very well be concerned within the assaults. It has consolidated its forces over the previous 12 months and, in accordance with native navy intelligence, may very well be planning an armed assault on the federal government. As well as, it reportedly has assist from throughout the navy ranks, which may make the scenario a lot worse.

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