{
  "id": 9104042,
  "title": "Santa Marta Armed Strike Shuts Tayrona Road After Police Kill Group’s No. 2",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/22/santa-marta-armed-strike-shuts-tayrona-road-after-police-kill-groups",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-22T07:15:13.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Rio Times",
    "slug": "the-rio-times",
    "url": "https://www.riotimesonline.com/santa-marta-armed-strike-september-2026/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A single police operation in the Sierra Nevada has brought Colombia's most famous Caribbean tourist corridor under a 48-hour shutdown order issued by an armed group. This strike, or paro armado, began on Monday night, following the death of the group's second-in-command. The aim is to disrupt the only road leading out of Santa Marta and to its beaches. The Autodefensas Conquistadoras de la Sierra Nevada, or Los Pachenca, declared the strike in a communiqué. Confirmed impacts include the burning of two buses and blockades in several areas. Despite the operation, no deaths or injuries have been reported. The operation involved the Antinarcotics Directorate of the National Police, the Fiscalía, and air support from the air force. Seven people died and three were captured, including the group's second leader, José Luis Pérez Villanueva, also known as Cholo. The Colombian government remains committed to dismantling the group despite its recent success.",
  "summary": "A Santa Marta armed strike has shut stretches of the Troncal del Caribe after police killed a paramilitary boss. What travellers need to know. The post Santa Marta Armed Strike Shuts Tayrona Road After Police Kill Group’s No. 2 appeared first on The Rio Times .",
  "key_points": [
    "48-hour shutdown ordered on Tayrona Road due to armed strike",
    "José Luis Pérez Villanueva, group's No. 2, killed by police",
    "No deaths or injuries reported despite burning of buses and blockades"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The police operation that killed the second-in-command of Los Pachenca has escalated tensions, shutting down a key tourist corridor and underscoring the challenges to the government's commitment to dismantling the group.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}