colombia tourist murders

U.S. tourists in Colombia caught in new wave of kidnappings

MEDELLÍN, Colombia — The local detectives pointed to the spot in the grass near a creek where the body was found. Eh Xiong walked toward it, listening to the water flowing, thinking about the final moments before his brother’s death.

Xiong, 56, had traveled from his home in Minnesota to Medellín in late December to try to understand what had happened to his brother, a 50-year-old U.S. citizen and well-known Hmong comedian and activist. Tou Ger Xiong was held for ransom, stabbed and beaten, and then thrown off a cliff. His corpse was found on Dec. 11 in one of the most dangerous areas of Medellín.

The grieving brother had come to this creek to perform a traditional Hmong ritual to liberate a deceased person’s spirit. He burned incense and gold paper as he said a prayer.

“I venture here today to this tranquil spot … where you took your last breaths of fresh air,” he whispered. “Regrettably, I stand here now, realizing I wasn’t by your side sooner.”

Last week, police arrested and charged four people in the kidnapping and killing of Tou Ger. His was one of at least eight “suspicious deaths” of U.S. citizens in November and December in Medellín, a popular destination for tourists visiting Colombia. The U.S. Embassy in Bogotá said the incidents seemed unrelated, but several involved similar circumstances.

“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,” the embassy warned in a statement. “Numerous U.S. citizens in Colombia have been drugged, robbed, and even killed by their Colombian dates.”

“Let’s be clear: Medellín is a safe city,” said William Vivas, a public human rights defender in Medellín. “But as the number of tourists goes up, so does the number of certain phenomena around tourism.”

GET CAUGHT UP Stories to keep you informed

Boeing will plead guilty to fraud related to fatal 737 Max crashes

Daughter of writer Alice Munro reveals family secret of sexual abuse

Copenhagen’s new sustainability push? Free coffee for tourists.

How can I keep my energy up as I age?

Tourism here has grown steadily since the 2016 signing of peace accords with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, also known as the FARC. The country began promoting areas that were previously too dangerous to visit, and foreign visitors quickly poured in. The government has also offered new “digital nomad” visas to encourage Americans and other foreigners to live in the country.

The revival of Colombia’s kidnapping industry

Colombia was once infamous for its kidnapping industry. The FARC, then the country’s largest leftist rebel group, used the tactic to earn revenue and gain political advantage. Between 1996 and 2006, 23,144 people were kidnapped by the FARC and other criminal organizations, according to Colombia’s national police — an average of 5.7 people per day.

But public outcry, together with the creation of specialized anti-kidnapping entities, helped reduce kidnappings by 92 percent by 2013, according to the country’s then-police chief. As the FARC fighters laid down their weapons and signed the peace agreement, many Colombians hoped that kidnappings would remain a part of the past.

Now, though, as other armed groups have gained more control in places where the FARC withdrew, kidnappings have risen again. Last year, the number of people kidnapped soared to 287, police figures show, a figure the country hadn’t seen since 2014.

Pablo Escobar’s personal photographer confronts the drug lord’s complicated legacy

One of the most high-profile recent kidnappings was of the father of Liverpool soccer player Luis Díaz , who was held hostage for more than a week by the ELN guerrilla group.

Elizabeth Dickinson, a senior analyst with the International Crisis Group, said armed criminal groups in Colombia are extorting protection “taxes” from families and businesses as a way to diversify their moneymaking portfolios and instill fear in the community. Sometimes these groups kidnap relatives and hold them hostage until the extortion is paid.

Last month, in a bid to advance peace talks with the government of President Gustavo Petro, the ELN announced it would no longer hold people for ransom — as long as the government funds projects that offer alternative sources of income.

Even in urban settings, kidnappings are not happening randomly, Dickinson said. Often, they are part of an organized network of control, as urban criminal groups aim to recruit more members and generate more income.

“These sorts of events disproportionately affect the perception of security that citizens have because it’s a practice that Colombia had thought it had moved beyond,” Dickinson said, “but clearly it’s come back.”

The case of Tou Ger Xiong

Tou Ger Xiong came to Colombia as a tourist at the end of November and rented an apartment in El Poblado, one of the most popular neighborhoods for foreigners in Medellín.

Back in the Twin Cities area, host to the largest Hmong population in the United States, he was a celebrity, a performer who used comedy, storytelling and rap to confront stereotypes and forge connections. He told audiences about how his father fought with U.S.-backed forces during the Vietnam War, how his family had to flee Laos because of that association and how he learned to navigate American culture while holding on to his heritage.

An enthusiastic traveler, Tou Ger had visited Colombia a half dozen times. On this trip, he told his brother, he planned to study trade and the stock market in the mornings and spend afternoons with friends. He was also learning Spanish.

On Dec. 10, at 7:15 p.m., Eh had just boarded a plane in Seattle when he saw his younger brother’s name appear on the screen of his cellphone. “Can you send me a couple thousand dollars?” Tou Ger asked. “I’m in a bit of a situation, but everything’s okay.”

This was not the first time he had asked his brother to wire money, so the request didn’t strike Eh as odd. Tou Ger asked for the money through PayPal, but Eh didn’t use the platform, so Tou Ger gave him a bank account number instead. The plane took off while the transaction was pending.

On the morning of Dec. 11, Tou Ger’s roommate saw his empty bed and filed a missing-person report. Then, an anonymous call alerted police to a body by the creek.

The prosecutor’s office reconstructed that he had been tied up and tortured in an apartment before being taken to a wooded area and thrown off the cliff. He had stab wounds on his chest and face, and his cranium had been crushed with a rock.

One of the four arrested in the killing was 19-year-old Sharit Gisela Mejía. It turned out that Tou Ger had made another call that evening to ask for money. In that exchange, with a friend in Minnesota, he said he was being held against his will. His friend sent $3,140 by PayPal. Investigators traced the recipient account to Mejía.

Investigators say they believe Tou Ger and Mejía may have met each other online. They had gone to a Karol G concert at the beginning of December — they can be seen together in a video. And they were together on Dec. 10, too, according to the prosecutor’s office.

Prosecutors say they believe Mejía had been dating Tou Ger with the goal of stealing money. But when her boyfriend found out, he became jealous, prosecutors allege.

The boyfriend, a 17-year-old being held as a minor, pleaded guilty to the kidnapping and murder charges. Mejía pleaded not guilty, as did two other men: a 34-year-old law student and a 24-year-old who belongs to a criminal group that runs a drug business in the neighborhood, authorities said. The men had both previously been convicted of drug trafficking.

Tou Ger didn’t mention a potential date to his roommate before leaving the apartment.

“He just said, ‘Maybe I won’t come home tonight,’” said his roommate, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of security concerns. “He was too good and trusted everybody. I told him to be cautious in Colombia.”

Weeks later, Eh traveled to Colombia and met with the prosecutor in charge of the investigation. He made arrangements to send his brother’s body back to Minnesota, and he carried out the ritual to bid farewell to his brother’s spirit.

According to Hmong custom, the ceremony must take place in the exact location where a person died. Standing at a distance were police officers, a small entourage from Minnesota and Tou Ger’s roommate — the last of his acquaintances to see him alive.

Once the brief ceremony was over, a friend stepped forward with a bag containing cigars, a bottle of whisky, a candle and purple flowers for the late Vikings fan.

“When we hung out, Tou Ger would pop up a cigar, have some whisky and say, ‘Just do one with me,’” Eh said.

So at the creek that day, Eh lit a cigar, poured himself a glass of whisky and splashed some on the ground for his brother.

Samantha Schmidt in Minneapolis contributed to this report.

• Share full article

A Hazard for Visitors to Colombia: ‘Devil’s Breath’

Powerful sedatives are behind a spate of violent crimes, U.S. officials say. Many victims are Americans in Medellín who use dating apps.

Steven Valdez, 31, at his home in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The travel blogger was drugged and robbed last year in Medellín, Colombia, after meeting a date on Tinder. Credit... Erika P. Rodríguez for The New York Times

Supported by

By Annie Correal and Genevieve Glatsky

Annie Correal and Genevieve Glatsky reported from Bogotá.

• Published Jan. 23, 2024 Updated Jan. 24, 2024

Steven Valdez thought he recognized the woman in the Medellín park. Chatting, the two realized they had matched on the dating platform Tinder. They exchanged numbers and made plans.

On their date last spring, he said the woman suggested that he try a typical Colombian dish — a creamy soup called ajiaco. She carried it from a restaurant counter to their table.

He had two spoonfuls, Mr. Valdez, 31, said. “And that’s the last thing I remember.”

Like scores of visitors to the Colombian city last year, Mr. Valdez, a travel blogger, said he was told at the hospital that he had ingested a powerful, potentially fatal cocktail of sedatives, including a drug called scopolamine.

Scopolamine makes its victims black out, and experts say it can also make them unusually open to suggestion — including agreeing to hand over a wallet or reveal passwords.

American officials are so concerned that they issued a security alert this month about the sedatives and a wave of violent crime targeting visitors to Colombia, especially in the increasingly popular tourist destination of Medellín, a city of 2.6 million in a valley of the Andes Mountains.

Caribbean Sea

The U.S. Embassy, in a previous security alert , describes scopolamine as an “odorless, tasteless, memory-blocking substance used to incapacitate and rob unwary victims” and warns of using dating applications in Colombia or visiting nightclubs and bars.

Colombian officials say many of the incidents involve the city’s sex industry.

“Unfortunately, due to word of mouth, people are identifying that in Medellín there are pretty girls and you can party really hard at a very low cost,” said Carlos Calle, who monitors the tourism industry for the city government. “Criminals are taking advantage of that.”

Since the pandemic, Medellín has also drawn thousands of digital nomads seeking cultural immersion and a cheap Airbnb, and investigators and lawyers say that they, too, are being targeted on mainstream dating platforms like Tinder.

Tinder did not respond to a request for comment.

While deaths are relatively rare, authorities in Medellín said the number of robberies involving scopolamine and other sedatives has risen sharply in recent years, though the exact number is unknown, since many victims do not go to the police.

“There are people who feel too embarrassed because if they file a report, people will know what they were doing,” said Manuel Villa Mejía, the city’s security secretary.

Jorge Wilson Vélez, a forensic criminologist who works with victims and their families, said there were likely hundreds of victims last year.

Perpetrators see the robberies as a tax on tourists whom they view as wealthy and in Colombia to prey on women, Mr. Vélez said. The intent is not to kill anybody, he added. “They call it, ‘giving the guys something to sleep.’”

Last year, Medellín saw 1.4 million foreign visitors, nearly 40 percent of whom were American, according to city data.

Crimes against American visitors have stirred fears in the expat community. An English-language Facebook group, Colombia Scopolamine Victims & Alerts , has about 3,800 members.

Americans are being hit, Mr. Vélez said, because they’re going online “looking for company, a relationship,” and especially when they go on dates alone.

Scopolamine, also known as “devil’s breath,” has been reported elsewhere in Latin America and beyond, with cases popping up from London to Bangkok.

But the drug’s rise in Colombia, and the embassy’s warning to Americans, comes as a particular blow to a country trying hard to change its image .

Medellín, in particular, has struggled to shed associations with drugs, violence and Pablo Escobar . The city has undergone a major transformation since the 1990s, boasting sleek museums, cafes on tree-lined streets, and the country’s only metro system. While some criminal gangs remain, the city’s homicide rates have plunged.

Crimes targeting tourists may tarnish that rosy picture — but so, too, do the tourists themselves, according to officials and lawyers who represent men targeted by thieves, who say some are treating Medellín like a lurid playground.

“There’s this weird mystique. You come to Medellín, and the normal rules don’t apply,” said Alan Gongora, an American lawyer in Medellín. “Like, anything is possible.”

Some crime victims said they were just looking for a date.

During the pandemic, Mr. Valdez left Los Angeles, where he worked in television production, to travel and work on his blogs, including one called We Like Colombia. He was in Medellín last May, working and taking bachata lessons, he said, when he opened Tinder to find a dance partner.

After his date with a woman who called herself Luisa, he said he woke up in his Airbnb, alone and unable to stand up. His right leg felt broken.

The police later told him his captors had beat him, likely because he had resisted being robbed, Mr. Valdez said. Hospital blood tests revealed the presence of scopolamine and another drug, clonazepam, a depressant.

He lost his phones, laptop, wallet and about $7,000, he said.

But he felt lucky to be alive.

Mr. Valdez reported the attack, and his date and several others were arrested after trying to use his bank cards to purchase appliances at a store, according to the police.

He tries to keep what happened in perspective. “I’ve been to Colombia, like, eight times now since the pandemic,” said Mr. Valdez, who now lives in Puerto Rico. “I’ve seen organized crime is rampant because prices are going so high over there. You know, the regular citizens can’t afford it.”

Criminal groups that lure victims through dating platforms are typically small, unaffiliated crews from poor neighborhoods, investigators in Medellín said.

One 42-year-old man from New York recalled being drugged by a Tinder date who served him a rum and coke that he said knocked him out for 24 hours.

She stole his electronic devices, silver jewelry, a bank card and cash. “I thought I had lost everything,” said the man, who asked to go by his initials, R.J., to protect future job prospects. But his passport and IDs were right where he had hidden them. A police report viewed by The Times corroborated details of the crime.

Leaving a passport, investigators said, is a signature of these crimes — meant to encourage victims to leave without reporting the robbery or pressing charges.

Some thieves can be sophisticated.

In December, a young German scientist touring Latin America and posting videos under the name Dr. Travel said he was robbed in Medellín by a woman he was “chatting with” after joining her and her friend for a meal.

He drank a pink soda, he said in a video , and later awoke to find his wallet and phone gone. His phone’s tracking function was deactivated, his Apple ID password changed and his bank account drained. Holdings in several cryptocurrency exchanges were sold, the funds moved to other crypto wallets.

He lost more than $16,000, he said. Attempts to reach the man were unsuccessful.

Scopolamine has long been used to treat motion sickness and nausea, but became popular in larger doses around three decades ago as a recreational drug and to commit crimes, said Guillermo Castaño, a senior investigator for Colombia’s science ministry.

Around 10 years ago, criminals in Colombia started using it to target tourists, Dr. Castaño said, often mixing it with benzodiazepines, depressants that typically treat insomnia and anxiety, to further incapacitate victims.

In a widely publicized case, Paul Nguyen, a 27-year-old from California, was fatally drugged by a Tinder date in Medellín in late 2022 , his body found near a dumpster. An autopsy determined he had been drugged with clonazepam, which, combined with alcohol, had caused his death.

His date and several accomplices were arrested and are now on trial, tracked down with the help of a photo of the woman that Mr. Nguyen posted on Snapchat before he disappeared.

Medellín authorities have said stopping the attacks is a top priority. Four people were recently arrested in connection with the murder of another American tourist who may have met a date online.

Still, arrests are rare.

Mr. Nguyen’s mother, Kimberly Dao, said the family had to hire Mr. Vélez, the investigator, to push the police to pursue the case.

For Ms. Dao, the U.S. Embassy alert about online dating in Colombia is a sign the issue is being taken seriously — though she wished it had come sooner.

If it had, she said, “I would beg him, I would not let him go.”

Federico Rios contributed reporting from Medellín, Colombia, and Simon Posada contributed reporting from Bogotá, Colombia.

Annie Correal reports from the U.S. and Latin America for The Times. More about Annie Correal

Advertisement

UK Edition Change

• UK Politics
• News Videos
• Paris 2024 Olympics
• Rugby Union
• Sport Videos
• John Rentoul
• Mary Dejevsky
• Andrew Grice
• Sean O’Grady
• Photography
• Theatre & Dance
• Culture Videos
• Fitness & Wellbeing
• Food & Drink
• Health & Families
• Royal Family
• Electric Vehicles
• Car Insurance Deals
• Lifestyle Videos
• UK Hotel Reviews
• News & Advice
• Simon Calder
• Australia & New Zealand
• South America
• C. America & Caribbean
• Middle East
• Politics Explained
• News Analysis
• Today’s Edition
• Home & Garden
• Broadband deals
• Fashion & Beauty
• Travel & Outdoors
• Sports & Fitness
• Sustainable Living
• Climate Videos
• Solar Panels
• Behind The Headlines
• On The Ground
• Decomplicated
• You Ask The Questions
• Binge Watch
• Travel Smart
• Watch on your TV
• Crosswords & Puzzles
• Most Commented
• Newsletters
• Ask Me Anything
• Virtual Events
• Betting Sites
• Online Casinos
• Wine Offers

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in Please refresh your browser to be logged in

Murdered tourists and sex trafficking exposes dark side of Medellin’s tourism boom

A sharp dip in violence in colombia's second-biggest city has attracted a flood of tourists to medellin, article bookmarked.

Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday

Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the us, thanks for signing up to the evening headlines email.

The lush valley enveloping Medellin was once the heart of a brutal war involving the Colombian government, drug cartels and a smattering of other armed groups.

But a sharp dip in violence in the country’s second-biggest city has attracted a flood of tourists to its vivid colors, busy cafes and booming nightlife. About 1.4 million visited last year, many of them American.

Now the tourism boom has presented officials with a new set of dark challenges, including an uptick in sex trafficking and the killing of tourists and Colombian women after rendezvous on dating apps.

“This area has spun out of control,” Medellin Mayor Federico Gutiérrez said recently while touring a park known for the sex trade.

Sex and drug tourism has long been a problem in Medellin, but the dangers came to a head late last year. Between November and December, eight American men were killed, many after meeting local women who are often used as pawns by criminal groups that target foreigners.

The killings prompted the U.S. Embassy in Bogota to warn in January that some tourists had been slipped drugs and were later robbed or killed. American officials cautioned men against using dating apps. The apps offer a way to seek out sex workers, whose business is not criminalized in Colombia.

Medellin lead prosecutor Yiri Milena Amado Sanchez said most of the recent killings followed similar scripts: A tourist contacts a local woman through social media or a dating app. When they meet, the man is handed a drink spiked with a substance such as scopolamine, which can cause people to fall unconscious and block their memories. The victims lose their belongings and, in some cases, their lives.

Of the killings, the most is known about the death of Tou Ger Xiong, an activist and comedian from Minnesota who went on a date with a Medellin woman, police say.

After meeting the woman, Xiong was kidnapped on Dec. 10, tortured, beaten and robbed. Despite his family paying a ransom for his release, he was taken to a nearby wooded area and thrown down a 250-foot cliff. He was found dead the next day.

Colombian authorities have not suggested that he was involved in prostitution. They said Xiong went out several times with the woman, who has been charged in the case, along with two men.

Friends and relatives described Xiong as a gregarious man who loved to travel, especially to Colombia, where he had friends.

“It’s almost like a second home; he loved it there,” his brother, Eh Xiong, told the Star Tribune of Minneapolis , adding that his brother knew about the U.S. government warnings, but that he assumed only "the best in people.”

Just this year, authorities have investigated the deaths of five more tourists, including a Dutch visitor found dead in a hotel, three Americans and a Lithuanian, who may have died by suicide.

Foreigners, too, have been behind some of the violence.

Earlier this month, the body of 20-year-old Colombian Laura Lopera was found jammed inside a suitcase. Authorities say her middle-aged Canadian ex-boyfriend, whom she met on a dating app, was likely behind the death.

Gutiérrez, the Medellin mayor, said the boyfriend fled the country and is now being pursued by Interpol . The Associated Press contacted the suspect over social media but did not receive a response.

The Canadian Embassy in Bogota said it was tracking the case but could not share more information due to privacy concerns.

“How sad and painful it is to learn of another femicide,” Gutiérrez wrote on X, formerly Twitter . “I send my solidarity to her family.”

The rise in tourism has also coincided with an uptick in sexual exploitation and trafficking in a place where rates of violence against women are already sky-high. In 2023, the city documented 1,259 cases of possible sexual exploitation of minors, a nearly 60% increase from the year before, according to data collected by the city.

Much of the city's sex work is also fueled by poverty and a migration crisis from neighboring Venezuela . Vulnerable women often sell sex to make ends meet. That was the case for one young sex worker, who fled economic crisis in Venezuela five years ago.

Every weekend, she walks dressed up through Lleras Park, which is surrounded by clubs frequented by foreign tourists. The small park is a hub for Medellin's sex industry.

“An American will pay 100 or even 200 dollars for sex, but a Colombian never pays that much,” she said, speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons.

Far from making a lucrative salary, she needed to scrape together at least $50 to pay for the room where she lives with her 8-year-old daughter and her mother.

“Some think that we are going to harm them,” she said, referring to the crimes against tourists. “But not all of us are criminals.”

On a recent night, dozens of police officers and local government officials patrolled the park, accompanied by Mayor Gutiérrez.

They asked for identification from women entering the park through police checkpoints. Most were let through, but a couple of teenagers were stopped and taken into a van. When the police left, the area once again filled with sex workers of different ages.

Despite the rise in sex tourism, many visitors to Medellin are pulled in by its vibrant culture, the stunning natural beauty of the valley and the city’s complicated history.

In a hillside neighborhood known as Comuna 13, hundreds of people take walking tours each day to see the area’s transformation.

The neighborhood was once a battleground for fighting among drug cartels, leftist guerrillas, military forces and government-linked paramilitary groups. The dead were buried in mass graves.

While the area still struggles with gang problems, tourists walk through colorful streets connected by electric staircases. Visitors take photos of intricate murals painted by local artists and shop for handicrafts in small stores.

In the middle of a tour, 38-year-old Ola Aiyedun of New York stopped to take some pictures with two friends. He said he wasn’t worried about safety or the warning to avoid dating apps because he didn’t come to Colombia in search of a partner.

“Colombia has more to offer than just women,” Aiyedun said.

Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article

Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.

New to The Independent?

Or if you would prefer:

Want an ad-free experience?

Hi {{indy.fullName}}

• My Independent Premium
• Account details
• Help centre

• WEATHER ALERT Heat Advisory Full Story
• WEATHER ALERT Excessive Heat Warning Full Story

OC man robbed, killed in Medellin, Colombia after meeting girl at bar, family says

The family of a Cal State Fullerton graduate is looking for answers after they say it appears their loved one was drugged, robbed and killed while traveling in Medellin, Colombia.

Paul Nguyen's family is focused on bringing his body back to Orange County.

Amy Nguyen said Paul was an amazing older brother.

"He was just someone that I could always look up to," she said. "He was always the first person I would call if I needed something."

Amy said the 27-year-old worked as a contractor and loved to travel.

"Every time he was back home he would always share the most fun stories of his trip. He would bring back souvenirs. He would just tell us all the fun things he found and how he's so happy he was traveling," Amy said.

She said last week Paul was traveling abroad for the first time visiting Medellin, Colombia, with a friend.

Amy said Paul met a girl on Tinder, a social media dating app, and went on a date on Wednesday.

She said her brother was last seen leaving a bar with that girl on Thursday around 2 a.m.

Amy said Paul's body was found later that morning.

"They took all of his stuff and his belongings. We know all his cards were swiped after 4 a.m.," Amy said. "We believe there were multiple people involved and she was just there to lure him and set him up."

Amy said Colombian authorities suspect her brother was drugged and robbed.

She said no arrests have been made in Paul's death.

Amy said, "It just felt so surreal when we found out. It was just very overwhelming trying to figure everything out and it's hard that we can't see him back home. We're working really hard to bring him back."

Paul's family is heartbroken and focused on bringing him home.

They've set up a GoFundMe page to help do that and to aid with funeral expenses.

¿Quieres leer este artículo en español? Haz clic aquí

Related Topics

• ORANGE COUNTY
• HOMICIDE INVESTIGATION

Top Stories

Man shot after trying to break into Valley Village home, LAPD says

3 people shot as gunfire erupts in Long Beach

Social media influencer involved in fatal Malibu crash, officials say

Lakewood replaces American, POW flags burned at park on July 4

Teacher at SoCal preschool fired for allegedly abusing children

Beaumont offering businesses an incentive to revitalize its downtown

LA mom says accusation she abducted her kids was a misunderstanding

United plane loses tire during takeoff at LAX

• Election 2024
• Entertainment
• Newsletters
• Photography
• AP Investigations
• AP Buyline Personal Finance
• AP Buyline Shopping
• Press Releases
• Israel-Hamas War
• Russia-Ukraine War
• Global elections
• Asia Pacific
• Latin America
• Middle East
• Election Results
• Delegate Tracker
• AP & Elections
• Auto Racing
• 2024 Paris Olympic Games
• Movie reviews
• Book reviews
• Financial Markets
• Business Highlights
• Financial wellness
• Artificial Intelligence
• Social Media

Colombia investigates the killing of a Hmong American comedian and activist in Medellin

Founder and organizer Tou Ger Xiong, front, poses with a group of Hmong dancers during Hmong Minnesota Day at the Minnesota State Fair, Sept. 6, 2021, in Falcon Heights, Minn. On Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023, Colombian authorities were investigating the alleged kidnapping and murder of the Hmong American comedian and activist Xiong, who was found dead Monday, Dec. 11, in a wooded area of the northern city Medellín. (Scott Takushi/Pioneer Press via AP)

Tou Ger Xiong addresses attendees at the Minnesota Nurses Association Conference, April 24, 2002 in Albertville, Minn.. Colombian authorities on Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023 were investigating the alleged kidnapping and murder of Tou Ger Xiong, a Hmong American comedian and activist who was found dead Monday in a wooded area of the northern city Medellín. (Darlene Pfister/Star Tribune via AP)

Tou Ger Xiong faces a sea of nearly all white faces during his diversity program, Aprilt 5, 2002 at the St. Michael - Albertville Senior High School in Albertville, Minn. Colombian authorities on Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023 were investigating the alleged kidnapping and murder of Tou Ger Xiong, a Hmong American comedian and activist who was found dead Monday in a wooded area of the northern city Medellín. (Darlene Pfister/Star Tribune via AP)

• Copy Link copied

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombian authorities on Wednesday were investigating the alleged kidnapping and murder of a Hmong American comedian and activist who was found dead Monday in a wooded area of the northern city Medellín.

Prosecutors told reporters that Tou Ger Xiong, 50, arrived in Medellín on Nov. 29. He went to meet a friend in the city on Dec. 10. Hours later he called a friend in the United States to tell him that he was kidnapped and his captors demanded a $2,000 ransom to free him, according to prosecutors.

Yiri Amado Sánchez, sectional director of Medellín prosecutor’s office, indicated that another friend of the activist reported the kidnapping for ransom — a common occurrence in the city. The office did not identify the friend by name.

“The man was the victim of a kidnapping,” Sánchez said, adding that the alleged kidnappers didn’t collect the money.

Xiong, who lived in the St. Paul, Minnesota, suburb of Woodbury, was a comedian, entertainer, storyteller and social justice activist. He talked about his Hmong heritage and immigrant experience to forge connections with audiences across the country. His family said in a statement issued by his brother, Eh Xiong, that “the pain of his loss is indescribable.”

The family said Tou Ger Xiong, one of 11 siblings, “dedicated his life to building bridges across cultures, to giving voice for those who may not have one, and to working toward justice for all.”

So far this year Colombian prosecutors have documented kidnappings of 253 people for attempted extortion.

Three American tourists, including Xiong, have been murdered in Colombia just in the last month, local media reported.

Eh Xiong told Minnesota TV stations that his brother frequently traveled to Colombia. He said he last heard from his brother Sunday night when he asked him to send $2,000. He told KARE-TV that his brother said he was “in a bit of a situation here” but didn’t give details.

The brother said in an email to The Associated Press on Wednesday that he was busy working to bring his brother’s body back to Minnesota.

The State Department press office said in an email to the AP that it was providing “all appropriate assistance” to the family but declined to provide further details out of respect to the family.

Tou Ger Xiong was born in Laos in 1973. His family fled to Thailand after the communist takeover in 1975 because his father had served as captain in the U.S-backed Hmong army, according to a 2020 profile of him in the St. Paul Pioneer Press. They spent four years in a refugee camp in Thailand before resettling in St. Paul, which is home to the largest Hmong community of any city in the U.S.

He was the valedictorian of the class of 1992 at Humboldt High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Carleton College, a prestigious liberal arts school in Northfield. He helped establish the annual “Hmong Minnesota Day” at the Minnesota State Fair in 2015 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the first arrival of Hmong refugees in the state, where the community now numbers around 95,000, according to U.S. Census Department data.

St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter paid tribute to Xiong in a series of tweets Wednesday, saying he was “too full of life to be snatched away so suddenly.”

“He was one of the funniest and most sincere people I’ve ever met.” Carter said. “A community leader, accomplished storyteller & comedian, the first Hmong rapper, and an absolute karaoke master in any genre of music. His light enlivened everyone around him. ... If you ever saw a guy dancing at one of my campaign events wearing a James Brown (or Elvis) costume & a permanent laugh, you’ve met Tou Ger.”

Former Minnesota state Sen. Mee Moua, a family friend and the first Hmong American woman elected to any state legislature in the U.S., said Xiong helped Hmong Americans see themselves as “gifted, creative and amazing beings” and built bridges to other communities.

“Today the Hmong diaspora around the world, whether in Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, China, France, Australia, Canada, South America, and the United States of America, have lost a one of a kind modern day hero,” Moua said in a statement Tuesday. “Tou: In a time when we needed belonging, your stories anchored our Hmong children in their roots. Your songs and your dance invited elders to embrace the new without fear of losing their cultural identity.”

His family said they planned to create a nonprofit foundation in his name as a tribute to his legacy.

Karnowski reported from Minneapolis.

Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

• Travel Updates

Three tourists murdered in Medellin, the home of Pablo Escobar’s drug wars

AFTER a sordid past this South American city is now a tourist hotspot. But with murders of foreigners on the rise, is it slipping back into its old ways?

Tragic twist after Aussie ‘split in half’ in Bali

Moment King’s Guard burst into tears

Twist in case of teen missing on holiday

IT HAD been billed as Colombia’s newest tourism hotspot and a global beacon of hope, having shaken off its reputation as the one-time murder capital of the world.

But just as things were starting to look up for Medellin, signs of its sordid past have once again come into view.

Three foreigners have been murdered in Medellin in the past two weeks, including Danish tourist Tomas Willemoes, who was fatally shot at close range last week in a popular plaza in the city’s most upscale neighbourhood.

His murder came just days after an Israeli and Mexican, both of whom were believed to be living in the city, were also killed.

Authorities are at a loss to explain the three killings, which came as the city was showcasing security gains to hundreds of business executives attending the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Latin America.

But at least one victim, the Israeli, appears to have been connected to a criminal ring that promoted sex tourism with prostitutes, prompting an energetic defence from the city’s new mayor.

“Any homicide is regretful, regardless of the reasons,” Mayor Federico Gutierrez told journalists on Monday. “But it’s very important to say that Medellin can’t be a place for sex or drug tourism.”

Medellin’s murder rate has fallen sharply since the 1980s, when the city was under siege by Pablo Escobar’s army of killers.

But it’s ticking up again this year and authorities worry that it could spoil a nascent tourism boom.

So far this year there have been more than 225 murders, an increase of around 10 per cent from 2015, according to Security Secretary Gustavo Villegas. In May, alone homicides spiked 80 per cent.

Andres Munera, an independent travel guide in Medellin, shares the mayor’s outrage and says he’s had to turn away foreign customers who came to the city looking for drugs and prostitution.

He says the demand for such activities is strong and undercuts the efforts of residents who’ve worked hard to clean up their city’s image as a haven for criminality.

Rare among many travel guides in Medellin, his company, Land Venture Travel, doesn’t offer tours of the haunts made famous by Escobar’s Medellin cartel before the fugitive capo’s death at the hands of the police in 1993.

More than 210,000 foreigners visited Medellin last year, a 34 per cent jump over 2014, according to the city’s tourism board. The Colombian tourism ministry says Medellin is the fastest growing tourism destination in the country outside the capital Bogota.

Key attractions in Medellin include the giant bronze statues by famous son Fernando Botero, nearby farms and a thriving cultural scene.

Colombia as a whole has enjoyed a boom in tourism, with the number of foreign visitors to the country increasing 12.2 per cent in 2015 — and a massive 290 per cent compared to a decade earlier.

The revival of Medellin — which has been dubbed the City of Eternal Spring — has been attributed to a combination of investment in education, social and cultural projects, modernised public transport and stronger partnerships between the public and private sector.

The area where Willemoes was shot last Thursday night, Parque Lleras, is home to the city’s fanciest restaurants and bars.

“I’m sure this will have an impact,” said Mr Munera, referring to the murders.

“The multiplier effect of bad press is always much higher than someone who tells their friends ‘Ah, what a great time I had in Medellin’.”

The tragic reason an Australian woman was in Bali before suffering catastrophic injuries in a horror accident has been revealed.

The moment a King’s Guard began to sob while on duty has been captured on camera, and it was due to a big surprise.

Police are being urged to investigate claims missing teen Jay Slater was involved in a $23,000 Rolex theft.

US Embassy warns citizens not to use Tinder or Grindr in Medellín after suspicious deaths of eight tourists

There is no evidence of a link between the cases but several of the victims had spent the last hours of their lives with people they met through dating apps.

Eight U.S. men have lost their lives in Medellín over the past two months. They died in different, puzzling circumstances, and there is no evidence of a link between the cases. But there is one factor in particular that is common to the crimes and has drawn attention: several of the victims had spent the last hours of their lives with people they had met through dating apps. The pattern is repeated to the point that on Thursday, the U.S. Embassy in Bogotá warned its citizens not to use platforms such as Tinder, Bumble and Grindr in Medellín. “Numerous U.S. citizens in Colombia have been drugged, robbed, and even killed by their Colombian dates,” the statement reads.

The warning notes that violent deaths of foreign citizens increased by 29% in the final quarter of 2023 compared to the same period a year earlier, according to data provided by the Tourism Observatory of the District Personnel of Medellín, a figure that does not take Venezuelans into account. U.S. tourists, notes the Embassy, account for the majority of those deaths. The figures, it adds, come in addition to an increase in complaints received by the diplomatic mission from Medellín, Bogotá, Cartagena, and other Colombian cities. “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 cases reflect all types of modus operandi, according to Colombian media. Hewett Jeffrey Hutson, a 55-year-old communications specialist, was found dead on November 11 in the apartment he rented through Airbnb in El Poblado. He had suffered more than 20 stab wounds and was allegedly the victim of an 18-year-old woman who had entered the apartment with him that day. Artist and lecturer Tou Ger Xiong, on the other hand, was found with stab wounds in mid-December in an inhospitable location: La Corcovada creek, in the northeast of the city. He had met a woman on the afternoon of December 10 and, hours later, a friend received a ransom demand of $2,000.

Not all of the deceased had showed signs of violence. Johny Jerome, a New Yorker who traveled in late October to celebrate his 45th birthday, was found lifeless in his hotel jacuzzi by his cousin. Both had spent the night with two women and were uninjured. Phillip Ryan Mullins, meanwhile, was found in his hotel with psychoactive substances in his blood that were possibly the cause of death. He was 32 years old and had last been seen at a party with friends on December 15.

The Embassy notes that not all the victims used dating platforms. However, it elaborates on recommendations about this particular risk, which is not limited to cases of heterosexual liaisons such as those recorded in recent months. “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,” the alert stresses. “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,” it adds.

Tourism boom

William Yeffer Vivas, district ombudsman of Medellín, confirms via telephone that tourism-related crimes have increased in recent years. He also says that Americans are the main victims among foreigners — there is no breakdown between resident U.S. nationals or tourists. However, the official is emphatic that the use of dating apps is not among the main reasons for the increase in violence. “It is possible that some tourists make use of these platforms. But these are exceptional cases,” Vivas says.

The causes are diverse. One is connected to Medellín’s consolidation as a tourist mecca: it surpassed 1.4 million visitors in 2022, according to the Mayor’s Office. This implies a natural increase in crime linked to this economic sector. However, the ombudsman acknowledges that they have also identified a higher proportion of people interested in the consumption of psychoactive substances, sexual exploitation of minors, and medical tourism in unlicensed clinics. “They are the most prone to suffer these types of situations, which result in theft or death,” he says. At the same time, criminal organizations have taken advantage of the opportunity with tourist packages ranging from Pablo Escobar tours to drug consumption.

Daniel Duque, a former councilman for the Green Party, adds two other reasons. “The great tourism boom has combined with the fact that we have an inherited culture of drug-trafficking that stereotypes the paisa woman [from the region of Antioquia ], who is hypersexualized compared to other Latin American cities. She is supposed to be voluptuous, with big breasts, a wide butt and blonde hair. This has generated expectations on the part of tourists who come to our city,” he explains by telephone. The politician also blames former Medellín mayor Daniel Quintero (2020-2023) for “ignoring the phenomenon” and being negligent in tourism planning policies.

The Embassy’s warning has raised some questions in the city. Mayor Federico Gutiérrez endorsed the alert, but pointed to tourists who engage in criminal activity. “[I want] to tell all nationals and foreigners that they are welcome in Medellín, but that they do things correctly and respect the rules,” he said in statements picked up by Caracol Radio. “We want them to come for a tourism that adds value. We do not want those tourists, national or foreign, who come to sexually exploit our children and adolescents,” he added in other remarks reported by El Tiempo .

Duque says the U.S. Embassy warning is stigmatizing the city and its inhabitants. “It is discriminatory because it is based on the fact that, if you come here, you will find women who want to murder foreigners, and that is a lie,” he said in a conversation with this newspaper. According to the former councilman, it is important to separate the cases of the deceased U.S. citizens from the broader and more complex dynamics of sex work and tourism. “There is a very big risk that when we talk about this phenomenon it is by blaming the women, that they kill the tourists. Or by blaming all tourists, despite the fact that most of them come for noble purposes.”

The president of the Antioquia Sex Workers Union, Valery Parra Ramírez, explains that there have always been foreigners with money who come to Medellin in search of sex. For her, the difference now is that criminal gangs are more interested in taking advantage of the sex trade. “As they see that foreigners attract a lot of money, they infiltrate among us. But we are not the culprits, we become victims of these pimping or trafficking gangs, who threaten us,” she says by phone. “All lives matter, but it seems that some deaths hurt more. Three trans women were killed in December and no one bothered to publicize that. But a foreigner dies and the media creates a social storm,” she concludes.

Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAÍS USA Edition

More information

The Colombian region of Antioquia is a counterweight to President Petro

Pablo Escobar, legend or disgrace?

Archived in.

• Washington D.C.
• Pablo Escobar
• Francés online
• Inglés online
• Italiano online
• Alemán online
• Crucigramas & Juegos

Watch CBS News

U.S. warns of using dating apps after "suspicious deaths" of 8 Americans in Colombia

By Kerry Breen

January 12, 2024 / 9:04 AM EST / CBS News

The State Department issued a warning to American travelers advising them not to use dating apps while traveling to Colombia after multiple "suspicious deaths" of U.S. citizens in the South American country. 

Since January, Colombia has been labeled a country that Americans should "reconsider travel" to because of crime, terrorism, civil unrest and kidnapping risks. Some areas of the country, including its border regions, are labeled "Do not travel." 

The advisory about using dating apps in Colombia was shared on Wednesday. According to the advisory, there were "eight suspicious deaths of private U.S. citizens" in Medellin, Colombia's second-largest city, between Nov. 1 and Dec. 31, 2023. The deaths are believed to either be forced overdose or suspected homicides, and though they are not believed to be linked according to the State Department, several "involve the use of online dating applications." 

The embassy saw an increase in reports of incidents involving dating apps as a lure over the last year, the State Department advisory said.  Minnesota comedian Tou Ger Xiong was kidnapped and held for a $2,000 ransom after telling family he would be meeting with a woman he met online, CBS News previously reported. Xiong was later found dead . 

"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," the advisory states. "Numerous U.S. citizens in Colombia have been drugged, robbed, and even killed by their Colombian dates." 

The incidents take place in major cities including Medellin, Cartagena, and Bogota. Such incidents "routinely go underreported," the State Department said. 

If using dating apps in Colombia, people should only meet in public places, avoiding isolated locations, and share details of your plans with a friend or family member, the advisory said. 

The advisory said that the United States embassy in Colombia had seen increased reports of people being lured by dating apps amid a rise in crimes committed against foreign visitors. In the last trimester of 2023, there was a 200% increase in thefts against foreign visitors, and a 29% increase in violent deaths. Most of those violent death victims were U.S. citizens. 

Kerry Breen is a news editor at CBSNews.com. A graduate of New York University's Arthur L. Carter School of Journalism, she previously worked at NBC News' TODAY Digital. She covers current events, breaking news and issues including substance use.

More from CBS News

Touring a wasteland in Gaza

American detained after "So I raped you" message can be extradited

Dangerous heat waves across U.S. affecting millions

Doomsday cult leader goes on trial after over 400 followers die

• Environment

Another American Tourist Found Dead in Medellin

Another American tourist has been found dead in Medellin. Clifford Allan Wilke, a 66-year-old American tourist was found dead in his hotel room last Sunday. Another tourist was found dead on the same day under strange circumstances: Horacio Perez Ledezma, a 54-year-old Mexican tourist was brutally murdered in Medellin.

These two deaths take the total death toll of tourists in Medellin’s metropolitan area to 31 in 2024. This is an extremely concerning fact, especially considering Medellin is one of Colombia ’s most attractive tourist destinations. Unfortunately, statistics on the matter keep increasing in the city.

15 American tourists have been found dead in Medellin in 2024

The Allan Wilke case takes the total toll of dead American tourists in Medellin to 15 in 2024. This means that 50% of tourists who have been found dead in the city have been American citizens.

A reason behind this high death toll is that American citizens represent 37,2 percent of tourists in Medellin. Medellin’s tourist office reported there were 520.800 visitors from the United States in the city in 2023.

This office also analyzed that tourist deaths in the city are directly proportional to the number of tourists that visit the city. Last year, over 1.4 million tourists visited Medellin. This number exceeds the pre-pandemic number of visitors, given that in 2019 the city did not even cross the million tourist mark.

Analysis of deaths in the Antioquean capital

Analysis of tourist deaths in forensic and police analysis of tourist deaths in Medellin suggests that at least two of the 31 deaths are homicides. These homicides have been registered in exclusive areas in the city such as El Poblado , one of the most sought-after neighborhoods in Medellin.

Despite the worrying numbers, Medellin’s security secretary , Manuel Villa Mejia pointed out that included in the number have been 5 suicides and 13 deaths due to natural causes. In addition to those statistics, there have been six drug-related cases, four of them still under investigation.

See all the latest news from Colombia and the world at ColombiaOne.com . Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow Colombia One on Google News, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and subscribe here to our newsletter.

• American Tourist
• Medellin Crime
• Medellin Tourism
• Tourists Deaths

THE LATEST IN YOUR INBOX!

More news from colombia, colombian artist silvestre dangond honored with new york street dedication, colombian vp speaks at us global black economic forum, medellin international poetry festival unites poets from around the globe.

© Colombia One - developed by Gi-ant.co

• Join the Team
• Colombia news

Slayings of Tourists and Colombian Women Expose the Dark Side of Medellin's Tourism Boom

A sharp dip in violence in Colombia's second-biggest city has attracted a flood of tourists to Medellin's vivid colors, busy cafes and booming nightlife

Slayings of Tourists and Colombian Women Expose the Dark Side of Medellin's Tourism Boom

Fernando Vergara

Tourists take photos in the Comuna 13 neighborhood of Medellin, Colombia, Friday, Feb. 2, 2024. Once a battleground for fighting among drug cartels, leftist guerrillas, military forces and government-linked paramilitary groups, the area is now a tourist attraction. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

MEDELLIN, Colombia (AP) — The lush valley enveloping Medellin was once the heart of a brutal war involving the Colombian government, drug cartels and a smattering of other armed groups.

But a sharp dip in violence in the country’s second-biggest city has attracted a flood of tourists to its vivid colors, busy cafes and booming nightlife. About 1.4 million visited last year, many of them American.

Now the tourism boom has presented officials with a new set of dark challenges, including an uptick in sex trafficking and the killing of tourists and Colombian women after rendezvous on dating apps.

“This area has spun out of control,” Medellin Mayor Federico Gutiérrez said recently while touring a park known for the sex trade.

Sex and drug tourism has long been a problem in Medellin, but the dangers came to a head late last year. Between November and December, eight American men were killed, many after meeting local women who are often used as pawns by criminal groups that target foreigners.

The killings prompted the U.S. Embassy in Bogota to warn in January that some tourists had been slipped drugs and were later robbed or killed. American officials cautioned men against using dating apps. The apps offer a way to seek out sex workers, whose business is not criminalized in Colombia.

Medellin lead prosecutor Yiri Milena Amado Sanchez said most of the recent killings followed similar scripts: A tourist contacts a local woman through social media or a dating app. When they meet, the man is handed a drink spiked with a substance such as scopolamine, which can cause people to fall unconscious and block their memories. The victims lose their belongings and, in some cases, their lives.

Of the killings, the most is known about the death of Tou Ger Xiong , an activist and comedian from Minnesota who went on a date with a Medellin woman, police say.

After meeting the woman, Xiong was kidnapped on Dec. 10, tortured, beaten and robbed. Despite his family paying a ransom for his release, he was taken to a nearby wooded area and thrown down a 250-foot cliff. He was found dead the next day.

Colombian authorities have not suggested that he was involved in prostitution. They said Xiong went out several times with the woman, who has been charged in the case , along with two men.

Friends and relatives described Xiong as a gregarious man who loved to travel, especially to Colombia, where he had friends.

“It’s almost like a second home; he loved it there,” his brother, Eh Xiong, told the Star Tribune of Minneapolis , adding that his brother knew about the U.S. government warnings, but that he assumed only "the best in people.”

Just this year, authorities have investigated the deaths of five more tourists, including a Dutch visitor found dead in a hotel, three Americans and a Lithuanian, who may have died by suicide.

Foreigners, too, have been behind some of the violence.

Earlier this month, the body of 20-year-old Colombian Laura Lopera was found jammed inside a suitcase. Authorities say her middle-aged Canadian ex-boyfriend, whom she met on a dating app, was likely behind the death.

Gutiérrez, the Medellin mayor, said the boyfriend fled the country and is now being pursued by Interpol. The Associated Press contacted the suspect over social media but did not receive a response.

The Canadian Embassy in Bogota said it was tracking the case but could not share more information due to privacy concerns.

“How sad and painful it is to learn of another femicide,” Gutiérrez wrote on X , formerly Twitter. “I send my solidarity to her family.”

The rise in tourism has also coincided with an uptick in sexual exploitation and trafficking in a place where rates of violence against women are already sky-high. In 2023, the city documented 1,259 cases of possible sexual exploitation of minors, a nearly 60% increase from the year before, according to data collected by the city.

Much of the city's sex work is also fueled by poverty and a migration crisis from neighboring Venezuela. Vulnerable women often sell sex to make ends meet. That was the case for one young sex worker, who fled economic crisis in Venezuela five years ago.

Every weekend, she walks dressed up through Lleras Park, which is surrounded by clubs frequented by foreign tourists. The small park is a hub for Medellin's sex industry.

“An American will pay 100 or even 200 dollars for sex, but a Colombian never pays that much,” she said, speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons.

Far from making a lucrative salary, she needed to scrape together at least $50 to pay for the room where she lives with her 8-year-old daughter and her mother.

“Some think that we are going to harm them,” she said, referring to the crimes against tourists. “But not all of us are criminals.”

On a recent night, dozens of police officers and local government officials patrolled the park, accompanied by Mayor Gutiérrez.

They asked for identification from women entering the park through police checkpoints. Most were let through, but a couple of teenagers were stopped and taken into a van. When the police left, the area once again filled with sex workers of different ages.

Despite the rise in sex tourism, many visitors to Medellin are pulled in by its vibrant culture, the stunning natural beauty of the valley and the city’s complicated history.

In a hillside neighborhood known as Comuna 13, hundreds of people take walking tours each day to see the area’s transformation.

The neighborhood was once a battleground for fighting among drug cartels, leftist guerrillas, military forces and government-linked paramilitary groups. The dead were buried in mass graves.

While the area still struggles with gang problems, tourists walk through colorful streets connected by electric staircases. Visitors take photos of intricate murals painted by local artists and shop for handicrafts in small stores.

In the middle of a tour, 38-year-old Ola Aiyedun of New York stopped to take some pictures with two friends. He said he wasn’t worried about safety or the warning to avoid dating apps because he didn’t come to Colombia in search of a partner.

“Colombia has more to offer than just women,” Aiyedun said.

Associated Press Writer Steve Karnowski in St. Paul, Minnesota, contributed to this report.

Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

Copyright 2024 The  Associated Press . All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Photos You Should See - June 2024

Join the Conversation

Tags: Associated Press , privacy , crime , world news , violence , floods

America 2024

Healthiest Communities

Your trusted source for in-depth analysis on the issues impacting your community’s well-being delivered right to your inbox.

Sign in to manage your newsletters »

Sign up to receive the latest updates from U.S News & World Report and our trusted partners and sponsors. By clicking submit, you are agreeing to our Terms and Conditions & Privacy Policy .

You May Also Like

The 10 worst presidents.

U.S. News Staff Feb. 23, 2024

The Best Cartoons on Donald Trump

July 8, 2024, at 3:54 p.m.

Joe Biden Behind The Scenes

July 8, 2024

What to Know: NATO Summit

Cecelia Smith-Schoenwalder July 8, 2024

The Week in Cartoons July 8-12

July 8, 2024, at 3:45 p.m.

All Eyes on Dems as Biden Drama Grows

Aneeta Mathur-Ashton July 8, 2024

Inflation May Take 2nd to Biden’s Fate

Tim Smart July 8, 2024

Employers Add a Solid 206K Jobs

Tim Smart July 5, 2024

Project 2025: A 2nd American Revolution?

Laura Mannweiler July 4, 2024

Biden’s Team Goes on Defense

Aneeta Mathur-Ashton July 3, 2024

Security Alert May 17, 2024

Worldwide caution.

• Travel Advisories |
• Contact Us |
• MyTravelGov |

Find U.S. Embassies & Consulates

Travel.state.gov, congressional liaison, special issuance agency, u.s. passports, international travel, intercountry adoption, international parental child abduction, records and authentications, popular links, travel advisories, mytravelgov, stay connected, legal resources, legal information, info for u.s. law enforcement, replace or certify documents.

Share this page:

Colombia Travel Advisory

Travel advisory january 2, 2024, colombia - level 3: reconsider travel.

Reissued with updates to the country summary.

Reconsider travel due to  crime  and  terrorism . Exercise increased caution due to civil unrest  and  kidnapping . Some areas have increased risk. Read the entire Travel Advisory.

Do Not Travel to:

• Arauca, Cauca (excluding Popayán), and Norte de Santander departments due to crime and terrorism.
• The Colombia-Venezuela border region due to crime, kidnapping, and risk of detention when crossing into Venezuela from Colombia.  

Country Summary: Violent crime, such as homicide, assault, and armed robbery, is widespread. Organized criminal activities, such as extortion, robbery, and kidnapping, are common in some areas.

Terrorist groups and criminal organizations continue operating and carrying out attacks in Colombia. They may attack with little or no warning, targeting transportation hubs, markets/shopping malls, local government facilities, police stations, military facilities, hotels, clubs, restaurants, airports, other public areas, and U.S. government facilities.

Demonstrations occur regularly throughout the country and can be about a variety of political or economic issues. They can shutdown roads and highways, often without prior notice or estimated reopening timelines. Demonstrations and road closures may significantly reduce access to public transportation and may disrupt travel within and between cities. Protests can become violent and can result in fatalities and injuries.

U.S. direct-hire government employees must adhere to the noted restrictions:

• They are not permitted to travel by road between most cities.
• Colombia’s land border areas are off-limits to U.S. government personnel unless specifically authorized.
• They may not use motorcycles.
• They may not hail street taxis or use public buses.

Read the  country information page  for additional information on travel to Colombia.

If you decide to travel to Colombia:

• Avoid protest areas and crowds.
• Monitor local media for breaking events and adjust your plans based on new information.
• Keep a low profile.
• Be aware of your surroundings.
• Enroll in the  Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP)  to receive Alerts and make it easier to locate you in an emergency.
• Follow the Department of State on  Facebook  and  Twitter
• Review the  Country Security Report  for Colombia.
• Prepare a contingency plan for emergency situations. Review the  Traveler’s Checklist .

Arauca, Cauca, and Norte de Santander Departments – Level 4: Do Not Travel

Violent crime, including armed robbery and homicide, is widespread. Terrorist groups are active in some parts.

The U.S. government has limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens as U.S. government-personnel travel to these areas is severely restricted due to security concerns.

Colombia - Venezuela Border – Level 4: Do Not Travel

U.S. citizens are advised not to travel to the border of Colombia and Venezuela. U.S. citizens are at risk of detention when crossing into Venezuela.

The Colombia-Venezuela border is not clearly marked, and U.S. citizens should not go near the border due to the risk of crossing into Venezuela accidentally.

U.S. citizens attempting to enter Venezuela without a visa have been charged with terrorism and other serious crimes and detained for long periods. For more information, see the Venezuela Travel Advisory.

Visit our website for  Travel to High-Risk Areas .

Travel Advisory Levels

Assistance for u.s. citizens, colombia map, search travel advisories, external link.

You are about to leave travel.state.gov for an external website that is not maintained by the U.S. Department of State.

Links to external websites are provided as a convenience and should not be construed as an endorsement by the U.S. Department of State of the views or products contained therein. If you wish to remain on travel.state.gov, click the "cancel" message.

You are about to visit:

An official website of the United States government

Here’s how you know

Official websites use .gov A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS A lock ( Lock A locked padlock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

• Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)

Colombian National Sentenced for Trafficking More Than $55 Million in Cocaine

TAMPA, Fla. — A Panama Express Strike Force, or PANEX, investigation has led to the second conviction of a Colombian national for smuggling cocaine on the high seas by a so-called go-fast vessel, this time for attempting to smuggle with intent to distribute more than 3,100 kilograms of cocaine worth more than $55 million.

Jhon Zambrano Caicedo, 37, of Colombia, was sentenced to 15 years and eight months in federal prison for conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine on a vessel subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. He entered a guilty plea in March.

According to the plea agreement, a maritime patrol aircraft spotted a panga-style go-fast vessel in the Pacific Ocean, about 60 miles north of the nearest point of land in Ecuador. The vessel was suspected of drug smuggling because it had several fuel barrels, had no registration numbers on the hull, was flying no flag, was operating at a high rate of speed, and was sailing in a location where maritime drug smuggling by similar vessels is common. A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter and law enforcement team were deployed from USCG Cutter James to intercept the suspicious vessel.

The helicopter signaled the vessel to stop, but its crew was noncompliant until warning shots were fired. The boarding team found Zambrano Caicedo and two others aboard. Zambrano Caicedo had previously been convicted in the Southern District of Florida for trafficking approximately 750 kilograms of cocaine via a go-fast vessel on the high seas in February 2016.

The PANEX is a standing Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Strike Force comprising agents and analysts from Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the FBI, the U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, and the U.S. Southern Command's Joint Interagency Task Force South. PANEX, which identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the U.S. using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multiagency approach, investigated the case.

The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Haynes.

HSI is the principal investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel, and finance move. HSI’s workforce consists of over 10,000 employees, assigned to 235 offices within the United States, and 93 overseas locations in 56 countries. HSI's international presence represents DHS’s largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.

• Law Enforcement
• Drug Interdiction
• Illicit Drug
• Law Enforcement Partnership

‘Senseless death’: Three men charged with killing New Zealand tourist during Newport Beach robbery

• Copy Link URL Copied!

Orange County prosecutors charged a third-strike offender and two other men with murder on accusations of running a car over a 68-year-old New Zealand woman and dragging her nearly 65 feet during a robbery at Newport Beach’s Fashion Island.

Prosecutors charged third-striker Leroy Ernest Joseph McCrary, 26, of Los Angeles; Malachi Eddward Darnell, 18, also of Los Angeles; and Jaden Cunningham, 18, of Lancaster with special-circumstances murder. They could be sentenced to death if they are convicted of killing Patricia McKay in the commission of a robbery, with a felony enhancement of causing the death of a person over the age of 65. The trio were captured after leading police on a high-speed chase into L.A. County.

The incidents Tuesday raised questions about why McCrary hadn’t served prison time for his previous felony convictions.

California has had a moratorium on carrying out the death penalty since 2019 and has not executed anyone since 2006.

McCrary also faces charges of felony attempted second-degree robbery and evading while driving recklessly. He was previously convicted of the felonies of residential burglary in 2018, criminal threats in 2020, and robbery in 2023, all in L.A. County. Records show he was also convicted of being a narcotics addict in possession of a firearm in 2023.

In addition to the murder charge, Darnell faces charges of second-degree attempted robbery, attempted murder, and personal use of a firearm, as well as a felony enhancement of personal discharge of a firearm.

Cunningham is also charged with attempted second-degree robbery in addition to murder.

Zip ties, guns and a rope: New details emerge on Newport Beach home invasion

Police have arrested a 24-year-old man in connection with a Newport Beach home invasion that occurred early Tuesday.

April 19, 2024

Patricia McKay and husband Douglas McKay, a well-known Auckland businessman and leader, were waiting for a ride after shopping at Newport Beach’s Fashion Island on Tuesday when a white Toyota Camry pulled up outside the mall next to the couple, and two men in masks jumped out. One of the men put a gun to Douglas McKay’s head and demanded his watch as they forced him to the ground, according to prosecutors.

Cunningham is accused of tossing Patricia McKay to the ground as she held several shopping bags, and then allegedly dragged her into the street in front of the Camry while grabbing the bags.

Douglas McKay jumped in front of the vehicle in an effort to stop it from running over his wife, but McCrary allegedly drove it forward, pushing him out of the way and running over the woman, then dragging her body 65 feet under the car.

As Cunningham ran after the getaway car, another man seeking to intervene gave chase. Darnell, who by then was back inside the car, is accused of firing three shots at the Good Samaritan.

After the incident, police pursued the Camry as it sped north, reaching speeds of up to 110 mph. A television news helicopter captured video of the car speeding on the left shoulder of the 105 Freeway and at one point grazing the concrete median.

Cunningham was arrested after he bailed out of the vehicle in the city of Cypress. McCray and Darnell were arrested later in South Gate. All three defendants were being held without bail Friday.

“Our entire community extends its deepest sympathies to the loved ones of Patricia McKay and to the entire country of New Zealand as we mourn her senseless death in the commission of a crime that should have never happened,” Orange County Dist. Atty. Todd Spitzer said in a statement announcing the charges. “Lawlessness and violence will not be tolerated in our society.”

A botched robbery. A tourist run over and killed. Violence erupts at upscale Newport Beach mall

Two people tried to rob a couple visiting Fashion Island mall from New Zealand, then ran over the woman with their getaway car, killing her, police say.

July 3, 2024

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon described Patricia McKay’s death as “an absolute tragedy,” and extended condolences to family members, whom he knows personally. Douglas McKay is a prominent energy and business executive who served for several years as chair of the Bank of New Zealand and three years as the first chief executive of the Auckland Council created in 2010 for the region’s “supercity.”

In a statement, the McKay family said: “No words can express our sadness as we try to come to terms with the loss of our mother, wife, and friend Patricia. We ask for privacy at this time as we work through this as a family.”

In 2023, McCrary pleaded no contest to charges of robbery and being a narcotics addict in possession of a firearm. He was sentenced to two years of probation with three years in state prison suspended.

Asked to explain the lack of prison time for McCrary, the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement: “The case against [him] had significant problems with proof. As a result of these issues, the management team at the Airport Court authorized a plea offer that allowed Mr. [McCrary] to be placed on probation with a suspended state prison sentence.”

Still, the District Attorney’s Office called the latest crimes that McCrary is accused of “reprehensible.”

In announcing this week’s charges, Spitzer, the Orange County prosecutor, put some of the blame on Gov. Gavin Newsom and other California Democrats.

“Our shopping centers and malls have become hunting grounds for criminals who are stalking innocent shoppers to rob them blind,” he said in a statement, “because our Governor and our Legislature refuse to hold anyone accountable for their actions.”

More to Read

L.A. robbery crew targeted tourists, ending in killing at Newport Beach mall, prosecutors say

Sex offender accused in Santa Monica beach assault on 3 people

June 25, 2024

Twice-convicted DUI driver charged with murder in crash that killed 14-year-old in Newport Beach

May 29, 2024

Start your day right

Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.

You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.

Richard Winton is an investigative crime writer for the Los Angeles Times and part of the team that won the Pulitzer Prize for public service in 2011. Known as @lacrimes on Twitter, during almost 30 years at The Times he also has been part of the breaking news staff that won Pulitzers in 1998, 2004 and 2016.

More From the Los Angeles Times

Entertainment & Arts

Judy Belushi-Pisano, actor and John Belushi’s widow, dies at 73

How Beverly Hills became an unlikely battleground for the future of abortion rights

California’s inmate firefighter crews are dwindling just as the state starts to burn

Climate & Environment

Meet the Californians serving in the first class of the American Climate Corps

Elderly tourist run over, killed by armed robbers who dragged her through California mall: officials

A 69-year-old tourist was killed at a California shopping center when a crew of armed goons ran her over with their car during a brazen broad-daylight robbery.

Newport Beach police said the victim and her husband, thought to be visiting from New Zealand, were approached by the three crooks who tried to rob them outside a Barnes & Noble bookstore at Fashion Mall on Tuesday, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The husband scuffled with the thieves, who then dragged the woman into the parking lot and ran her over with their white Toyota Camry before they fled, the outlet said.

Police said the suspects fired shots as they drove away.

“About 20 people were running and screaming, ‘Someone’s shooting!'” one witness told the newspaper. “They locked us in the restaurant and I hear for sure one person was dead and I think several injured.”

Police pursued the fleeing suspects in a high-speed chase that reached 110 mph on the westbound 105 Freeway, CBS News said in another report .

The three accused crooks jumped out and took off on foot but were later tracked down and taken into custody by Newport Beach police — including one thug found hiding behind trash cans.

The victim and her husband have not been identified.

They were tourists from New Zealand, according to CBS News, and the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade told local media it was “aware of the reports of the death of a New Zealander in California.”

“Consular officials are seeking further information,” the department told the New Zealand Herald .

The suspects have yet to be identified.

“Frankly, to hell with these guys,” Newport Beach Mayor Will O’Neill told a press conference.

“They came to our city knowing that they were going to commit crime and a woman is dead today because of it. It’s heartbreaking. It’s a tragedy.”