Colombian authorities have dismantled a sophisticated criminal organization accused of trafficking citizens from the Dominican Republic, providing them with fraudulent Colombian civil registries, national ID cards (cédulas de ciudadanía), and passports to facilitate illegal travel to the United States and Europe.
The operation, dubbed “Operation Belén,” successfully identified the illicit activities of the transnational network dedicated to migrant smuggling and document fraud. The migrants reportedly paid between US$3,000 and US$5,000 to be transported from the Dominican Republic to Colombian cities like Medellín and Planeta Rica (Córdoba), where the ring processed the fake documentation.
A major break in the case involved the alleged participation of an insider: Andrés Felipe Saltarín, a civil servant at the Auxiliary Registry Office of Belén in Medellín. Saltarín is accused of exploiting his position to allow migrants into the office, expedite fraudulent procedures without required prerequisites, and activate the fake identities using data supplied by the criminal ring.
The takedown follows a nearly six-month investigation conducted by a special group from the National Police’s Dijín (Criminal Investigation Department), supported by the Attorney General’s Office, the U.S. Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), the National Civil Registry, and Migración Colombia.
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Infobae
Z101 Digital
15 December 2025