2023-07-20 16:23:17
On the night of this Wednesday, June 19, the government of Nayib Bukele gave an ultimatum to hundreds of Colombians who, they say, are dedicated to the practice of “drop by drop” in that country.
According to a statement issued by the government of that country, there is a criminal organization made up of foreigners, mostly Colombians, who pose as unregulated microfinance entities to offer loans at rates of up to 20% daily interest.
Also read: Droppers now ‘kidnapping’ your debit card
Then, the lenders request the payment of the credits through injuries, threats and extortion. “They basically dedicate themselves to exercising justice into their own hands,” denounced a Bukele official. In addition, he reported that, if for some reason the debtors cannot meet their payment quotas, the extortionists take their identifications to open bank accounts in their names and by that means get the money that they later send to Colombia.
According to the Minister of Justice of that country, from 2021 to date remittances from El Salvador to Colombia have exceeded $20 million dollars. They also assured that there are currently more than 400 undocumented Colombians in the Central American country who belong to these illegal organizations that have expanded from Colombia to the entire continent in recent decades.
The authorities also affirm that the objective of these structures is to launder money for international drug trafficking cartels.
For these reasons, the government of Nayib Bukele (which has taken over judicial functions in addition to executive functions) threatened Colombians residing in that country and gave them 72 hours to leave. Otherwise, they will be submitted to Salvadoran justice, they reported.
“The clock is ticking, all the fake ‘tourists’, members of this extortion and money laundering structure, take advantage and get out of our country quickly. Later, we will not hear regrets, ”Bukele wrote on his Twitter account.
On Monday, July 17, Salvadoran police arrested more than 100 Colombians for their alleged involvement in the operation of a microfinance scheme that laundered money from drug trafficking and gang activities, security officials from that country said.
President Bukele spoke through his social networks about the capture of the Colombian criminal gang and warned that “the so-called ‘peace managers’ are not welcome in Salvadoran territory.”
“We invite good Colombians to come to El Salvador, whether it is to vacation, invest, work or emigrate. Here you will have legal security, political stability and physical security for you and your loved ones; in addition to a beautiful country with kind and hard-working people”, said the president.
“But criminals, drug traffickers, fraudsters and some of the so-called ‘peace managers’ better not come to our country looking for trouble, because our prisons are waiting for them,” the president also said on Twitter.
Through an official statement, the Colombian Foreign Ministry ruled on the arrest of more than 60 Colombians in El Salvador for being part of this alleged “drop by drop” network.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained that from March 2022 to date, the consular section has had full knowledge of a total of 63 arrests of compatriots investigated for this aforementioned cause.
They further stated that consular assistance has been provided to all of them and that “periodic visits have been made to the detention centers and guidance has been provided to compatriots deprived of their liberty and their families.”
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