Former President Andr\u00e9s Pastrana attributed the incident to N\u00e9stor Osuna, Colombia’s Minister of Justice. He directly blamed the official for not maintaining control and order, even though Osuna wasn’t involved.<\/p>\n
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This isn’t the first time La Picota has been in the spotlight. High-profile prisoners have been able to walk out the gates. One was Carlos Mattos, a corrupt businessman who went out for a walk, protected by union privileges. An investigation implicated a couple of guards. But they remained in place due to union protection.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Another was Jesus Santrich, a high-ranking member of Colombia\u2019s guerilla army, FARC. He walked out of the prison in 2019, but only for a few minutes before police arrested him.<\/p>\n
Party Uncovers Luxury Living<\/h2>\n After news of the party surfaced, INPEC held a surprise inspection of the prison. What officials found was evidence that prisoners were living the good life when they were supposed to be locked away.<\/p>\n
The inspection found 122 cell phones, 30 internet modems, five tablets, three projectors, four smart watches, 11 television decoders, 19 music speaker systems, and more. It also uncovered 184 bottles of liquor, including whiskey, tequila, wine, and champagne, as well as $400K in cash.<\/strong><\/p>\nAdditional items were seized that, despite not being restricted, were found in prohibited places, including some inmate cells. Among these were large televisions, 17 ice chests, 25 electric stoves, five refrigerators, three coffee makers, nine blenders, a DVD player, 16 sandwich makers, and nine pressure cookers.<\/p>\n
In response to the scandal, Osuna didn’t hesitate to make changes. He fired the warden, Colonel Joaqu\u00edn Dar\u00edo Medrano, and appointed Horacio Bustamante Reyes to take over. Bustamante previously oversaw the Medium Security Penitentiary and Prison Establishment of Manizales, and has been with INPEC for 27 years.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
When most people imagine prison life, they don’t picture gambling, liquor, and live music. However, that’s exactly the scene that played out at a prison in Colombia, and lawmakers are screaming for answers. The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) has launched a preliminary investigation to determine the responsibility of officials and guards at the National Penitentiary […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":64,"featured_media":235388,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,81884],"tags":[82161,81904,82970],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Gambling and Booze Party at Colombian Prison Raises Questions About Security - Casino.org<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n