How Colombian ganglands where Luis Diaz’s parents were snatched went from paradise to cartel state

ON the dusty streets of Barrancas, a boy rides past a painted mural of Liverpool ace Luis Diaz that reads "Barrancan Pride".

The street art represents a rare symbol of hope in Colombia's northern desert region of La Guajira, which has been torn apart by a wave of sinister abductions as heartless cartel thugs battle for control.

On Saturday, the shock kidnapping of Diaz's parents sparked an international manhunt after they were brazenly snatched by gunmen.

The 26-year-old's mum and dad had stopped at a petrol station in Barrancas, their hometown, when they were ambushed.

Diaz's mum, Cilenis Marulanda, was rescued the same day, but her husband is yet to be found, with Colombian authorities offering a reward of up to £40,000 for information.

The sickening incident has shone a light on the crime wave gripping La Guajira, whose idyllic, sun-kissed beaches have been turned into a deadly gateway for drugs and trafficking.

Warring cartels run a virtually lawless state through gut-wrenching violence and warped Taliban-like rules, which uphold strict curfews and punishments for 'anti-social' citizens.

Elizabeth Dickinson, an expert on Colombia's organised crime scene, tells The Sun: "La Guajira is living a silent nightmare."

The senior analyst at International Crisis Group, who is based in the country's capital, Bogota, adds: "It's a region where fear is used as the main instrument of control.

"Armed criminal groups have carried out violent crimes - and left the evidence in plain view - to send a clear signal to the population about the price of non-compliance with their control."

The southwest municipality of Barrancas borders the Venezuelan jungle and is the birthplace of Diaz, who moved to Liverpool last year for an initial fee of £37million.

Sitting at the tip of Colombia with unrestricted access to the Atlantic coastline, the deprived area is a smuggling haven.

The lucrative trafficking corridor see tons of drugs, arms, contraband and people leave its shores illegally every year.

La Guajira - the surrounding 'department', or region - is deeply underdeveloped, with blood-stained cartel bosses preying on its impoverished locals.

Dickinson says: "The department consistently suffers from the highest rates of malnutrition in the country, and many areas lack basic services such as potable water and healthcare access.

"This has rendered the area more vulnerable to armed and criminal groups who prey upon the desperation of the population to entrench their control."

Read more: https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/24571640/colombian-ganglands-luis-diaz-parents-kidnapping-cartels/

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Видео How Colombian ganglands where Luis Diaz’s parents were snatched went from paradise to cartel state канала The Sun