Overview
- Police say armed men intercepted tourists Alexander Valencia Hernández and his son Nicolás at La Bocana beach, and Alexander was later found dead while Nicolás, 22, remains missing.
- In raids carried out after the case drew national attention, officers detained five suspects they link to the criminal group Los Shottas and recovered a rifle, handguns, a fragmentation grenade and phones.
- Authorities identified and arrested a suspected leader nicknamed 'Cheo', whom prosecutors say heads a local RAER support network tied to the ELN and faced existing arrest warrants.
- The regional government offered a reward of up to 100 million pesos for information on Nicolás’s whereabouts and police and the Fiscalía continue searches and judicial investigations.
- The attack on a public tourist spot has renewed local alarm over gang control in Buenaventura, strained trust in urban peace talks, and prompted calls for a stronger security presence on Pacific coast beaches.