Gorgona Island to Be a Base for the Fight against Drug Trafficking in Colombia

Colombia plans to set up a radar system on Gorgona Island in the Pacific Ocean to bolster efforts against drug trafficking and the routes used for its trade in that region. The initiative, previously considered by past administrations, has now been confirmed for implementation under President Gustavo Petro’s government, despite facing criticism.

The idea is to build a coast guard station, with a deployment of 28 members of the National Navy and a radar to control maritime traffic. This is an important route for drug traffickers who smuggle cocaine out of the country from the Valle del Cauca region on the mainland. The project also aims to combat environmental crime, such as illegal fishing on an island declared a national park in Colombia.

Attacking the finances of criminal gangs

Defense Minister Ivan Velasquez has said that work will resume next week on the location of the permanent checkpoint, a project that began ten years ago during the presidency of Juan Manuel Santos. The minister also said that in the fight against criminal gangs, the government has one main objective: to attack their finances, which are sourced to a high degree from drug trafficking.

“This coast guard station is going to play an important role because it will increase the control capabilities of the National Navy. Framed in the Development Plan and in the policy of security, defense and citizen coexistence, this station and the establishment of a radar on the island will allow us to increase our capacity to control the illicit traffic of narcotics“, said the minister.

In the face of the controversy generated in recent days by rumors of alleged foreign financing of the radar, Velasquez has clarified that “everything related to the radar will be with resources of the Ministry of Defense”. The minister also asserted that “there is no possibility, either of the management of the coast guard station, or of the radar, or of the information (coming) from the United States”.

The minister wanted to be emphatic and clear all doubts when he gave his assurance that “there is no US military presence in Gorgona“.

A project within the energy transition

Gorgona Island, located 28 kilometers off the coast of mainland Colombia, has been a natural park integrated into the national park network for forty years. In 1982 it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its nature and conservation and because the island is home to a large number of endemic species. In this regard, the Minister of the Environment, Susana Muhamad, has stated that the future coast guard station will be environmentally friendly and will be built according to energy transition criteria.

The station will include more than 3,500 square meters that will be used for the installation of solar panels, which will also be placed in some cabins. The project also includes the construction of a dock to facilitate visitor access, as well as an aquatic mammal watching tower and the Yundigua and La Chonta trails.

The station will also be equipped with a monitoring and control center, warehouses will be adapted to create an auditorium, and the electricity supply will come from renewable energies. In addition, trails will be maintained and asbestos ecotourism lodging roofs will be replaced.

History of Gorgona Island

Since approximately 1300 BC, long before the arrival of Europeans, Gorgona Island had been populated by a pre-Columbian culture which came from the current departments of Nariño and Cauca, in the current continental Colombia. Conquered by the Spanish in 1526, throughout the entire colonial period it served as a supply station for ships going from Panama to Peru.

After Colombia’s independence in the early 19th century, the island was controlled by private shipbuilders, until in 1960 the Colombian government regained control over the territory. At that time, it was decided to build a high security prison. The Gorgona prison, also known as the Colombian Alcatraz, held the country’s most dangerous inmates, generally convicted of murder and rape, but also political prisoners. In its 24 years of operation, there were only three successful escapes.

The prison facility was in operation until 1984, when President Belisario Betancur closed it after years of pressure from human rights defenders and environmental activists. That same year, the island was declared a natural park and dedicated to scientific research. From that moment on, the entry of private individuals was very restricted, and was only possible with a special permit. At the beginning of this century, the government gave the island in concession to Destino Pacífico, which has since then managed the tourist visits and the hotel located in a privileged area of the island.