The Colombian Association of Capital Cities (Asocapitales) and the National Planning Department (DNP) have just presented a report that is shocking and serves as a reminder that extortion is one of the main security concerns in Colombia.
The study examines the behavior of this crime in the country over the past 15 years and warns of its recent increase in major cities. One figure is chilling: between 2022 and 2025, the frequency went from one case of extortion every 54 minutes to one every 39 minutes, representing an increase of nearly 37%.
Bogota accounts for nearly 3,000 extortion cases
But the document is full of staggering figures. Gustavo Niño, director of Justice and Defense at the DNP, noted that the analysis records around 111,000 cases over the past 15 years and an increase of nearly 40% in the last four-year period. “This is one of the most concerning issues we face in formulating the Development Plan,” he said.
Among Colombia’s 32 capital cities, Bogota is one of the main areas of concern regarding this crime. According to Asocapitales and the DNP, the Colombian capital accounts for nearly 3,000 extortion cases.
In 2025, 54% of extortion cases nationwide were concentrated in capital cities. But the most serious issue is that reports in the main capital cities rose from an average of 1,500 cases in 2020 to more than 13,000 cases in recent years.
The crime is committed by criminals operating from prisons or using digital media and social networks. In this way, they manage to intimidate their victims and demand money from them. This complex situation poses challenges for the authorities.
The DNP said that the study, entitled “Analysis and Characterization of Extortion in Colombia: Diagnosis, Causality and Lines of Action for Capital Cities,” will serve as input for formulating security strategies under the National Development Plan, with an emphasis on combating extortion originating in prisons and extortion committed through digital platforms.
“We receive this input as support for the action that will be included in the Development Plan, under the constitutional patriotism pillar, where an entire strategy will be set out to combat extortion in prisons and in the digital sphere, on social networks,” Niño explained.
Need to incorporate technological tools
The research proposes 27 concrete actions focused on prevention, strengthening institutional coordination between the national government and territorial entities, controlling communications in prisons, and providing better comprehensive care for victims.
Among the measures mentioned is the use of signal jammers in correctional facilities to prevent extortion calls from being made from prisons.
The official also highlighted the need to incorporate technological tools into the work of the public security forces, the Attorney General’s Office and other entities in the security sector to identify and dismantle the criminal organizations involved in these activities.
The figures presented by Asocapitales and the DNP highlight the need to strengthen institutional coordination and investigative tools to tackle extortion in the country’s cities and municipalities.
The challenge, according to what was presented during the announcement, includes both controlling illegal communications from correctional facilities and preventing and prosecuting forms of extortion carried out through social networks and other digital channels.