On November 28 Colombian National Police (PNC) published a statement indicating that police was able to seize 4.5 tons of drugs since an executive decree was signed on October 1. In Bogota alone, 4,577 kilos were seized following the detention of 1,354 individuals purportedly selling drugs in public parks and in the vicinity of schools. On October 1 President Iván Duquee signed a decree allowing police to confiscate any dose of illegal drugs in citizens’ possession.
Although large sectors of society oppose measures which perceivably empower security services, these results will probably encourage the government to adopt further measures to curtail drug trafficking in urban areas. This assessment is backed by local pundits, who notice that Duque is likely to strengthen the arm of law enforcement to compensate for his declining popularity amid right-leaning elements. In this respect, he could likely grant political backing to Bogota mayor Enrique Peñalosa, who is requesting 9,000 additional police agents to guard the capital against crime.