SANTA MARTA, COLOMBIA — Troops patrolled the unusually quiet streets of Colombia’s Caribbean resort city of Santa Marta on Wednesday after a wave of violence blamed on a drug-trafficking group prompted President Abelardo de la Espriella to deploy additional security forces.

In a working-class neighborhood in the northeastern part of the city, residents lined up outside the few supermarkets that remained open while police officers carrying rifles stood guard.

“We woke up this morning afraid to go out and see what the situation was, but you have to go out to stock up on supplies,” taxi driver Antonio Ochoa said.

The violence erupted Tuesday when arsonists set fire to at least three vehicles, including a taxi and a public bus. Armed men also threatened merchants in broad daylight, spreading fear across the city.

De la Espriella blamed the Sierra Nevada Self-Defense Forces for the unrest and ordered troops into Santa Marta. He said the group was planning to “set fire” to parts of the Caribbean region in retaliation for a military operation that killed José Pérez Villanueva, known as “Cholo,” whom the government identified as the group’s second-in-command.

The president visited Santa Marta on Tuesday night wearing a bulletproof vest and traveling in an armored vehicle. He vowed to pursue those responsible for the violence and said he would continue the operation against the group if its members refused to surrender.

De la Espriella took office last month after promising to adopt an “iron fist” approach toward illegal armed groups. The troop deployment in Santa Marta, a city of about 480,000 residents, represents the first such deployment of his administration.

The president has also suspended peace talks with armed groups that were initiated by his predecessor, Gustavo Petro. Those negotiations included discussions with self-defense forces such as the Sierra Nevada group, which emerged following the demobilization of paramilitary organizations in the early 2000s.

According to police, the group operates in the departments of Magdalena, where Santa Marta is located, as well as La Guajira and Cesar. Authorities have linked the organization to crimes including drug trafficking and extortion.

Magdalena Gov. María Margarita Guerra visited the city’s public market on Wednesday, where vegetable, fruit and meat stalls remained closed. She and her team distributed flyers carrying the message “Extortion doesn’t pay” and encouraged vendors to reopen.

Guerra said she understood residents’ concerns after decades of violence but urged the community to come together. She described the reopening of the market as particularly important because it is a major center of local commerce.

The governor estimated that more than 1,500 additional police officers and military personnel had been deployed across the region in response to the violence.

Despite the disruption, hundreds of tourists remained on Santa Marta’s beaches, listening to music, drinking beer and sunbathing while many nearby restaurants and stores remained closed.

Orlando Andrade, 64, a journalist visiting the city with his family, said he was caught off guard by Tuesday’s armed strike after noticing that public transportation had become scarce. When he asked what was happening, a street vendor told him to “hide.”

“The strike did affect us because we couldn’t enjoy other beaches,” Andrade said.

SOURCE: The Associated Press (AP), Astrid Suárez, September 24, 2026.