Cúcuta – Colombian police have made significant progress in identifying two of the four men who abducted Luis Díaz’s father, Luis Manuel Díaz, as security forces race to thwart the captors’ attempts to smuggle him into neighboring Venezuela.
Luis Manuel Díaz and his wife, Cilenis Marulanda, were abducted by armed men at a petrol station in Barrancas, located in Colombia’s northern La Guajira state, last Saturday. While Marulanda was released on the same day, the search for Díaz Sr continues across La Guajira, a desert region in close proximity to Venezuela, known for harboring armed groups involved in contraband and cocaine smuggling.
The Director of the National Police, General William Salamanca, personally led soldiers in “Operation Padlock” on Monday, as they combed the cloud forests of the Perijá mountain range bordering Venezuela in search of clues regarding Díaz Sr’s whereabouts. Over 200 members of Colombia’s security forces, including elite ground troops and specialist pilots, have been mobilized for the operation, which also includes searching from the air.
In addition to this extensive operation, police forces have conducted house-to-house searches in the vicinity of the abduction, offering a reward of $48,000 (£39,000) for any information leading to the safe recovery of Díaz Sr.
General Alejandro Zapata, Deputy Director of the National Police, stated in a press conference in Bogotá on Monday that crossing the mountainous terrain on foot would be challenging, but it remains a logical objective for the kidnappers to get him out of the country and beyond the reach of Colombian authorities. While there is currently no evidence to confirm that Díaz Sr has crossed the border, authorities cannot rule out this possibility. Zapata also noted that no ransom demands have been made for Díaz Sr’s release.
Venezuela has become a sanctuary for armed groups in recent years as the country’s economy has deteriorated, and some guerrilla groups collaborate with the military in illegal activities, including gold mining and drug smuggling. Colombian security forces often attribute upsurges in organized crime to the lack of law and order in Venezuela, as criminals can easily evade justice by slipping across the border after committing crimes in Colombia.
Feli Ureche, a cousin of Díaz Sr, disclosed in an interview with Bogotá-based W Radio station that Díaz Sr had received threats before his abduction, leading to an outpouring of solidarity across Colombia. The nation, once notorious as the kidnapping capital of the world in the 1990s and 2000s, has become significantly safer in recent decades. The country’s largest guerrilla group laid down their arms in 2016 as part of a historic peace process.
Amidst this turmoil, Luis Díaz, the footballer, joined Liverpool from Porto for an initial €40 million in January 2022. In a show of support, he was absent from the squad that defeated Nottingham Forest 3-0 at Anfield on Sunday after learning of his parents’ ordeal. Díaz remains with his family in England, and Liverpool’s assistant manager, Pepijn Lijnders, emphasized that the club is providing support to the 26-year-old.
“Díaz will be absent when Liverpool visits Bournemouth in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday.”
