ACSN Retaliation Violence Forces Troop Deployment to Santa Marta

Armed men loyal to the ACSN set fire to at least three vehicles — including a taxi and a public bus — and threatened merchants across Santa Marta on September 22, 2026, in retaliation for the killing of alias 'Cholo' the day before. President Abelardo de la Espriella toured the city in an armored vehicle wearing a bulletproof vest and vowed, 'I swear by Colombia and by my life that I will finish them off ... I will send them to hell in a body bag,' before ordering troops into the city. Security forces made five arrests — three in Santa Marta, two in Riohacha — as the president said, 'We're going after the rest.' It was the first troop-deployment operation of de la Espriella's presidency.