The government of Colombia implemented a measure aimed at curbing the proliferation of crimes orchestrated from within the country’s prisons: Blocking cellular phone signals in several facilities where a significant rise in criminal activity has been detected, especially crimes linked to extortion.
The decision, announced by Justice Minister Andres Idarraga, was taken amid growing reports of phone scams and extortion networks that, according to both national and international authorities, originate from mobile devices hidden inside prisons. The order includes cutting off the signal in maximum-security penitentiaries such as Combita, Valledupar, and La Dorada — sites identified by authorities as hubs of organized criminal activity extending beyond prison walls.
Beyond its technical scope, the measure represents an intensification of the state’s offensive against a phenomenon whose persistence has exposed the limitations of Colombia’s prison system. The government says that without controlling illicit communications from prisons, it will be very difficult to eradicate crimes that, although conceived behind bars, have devastating effects on public security at large.
Colombia blocks cell phone signals in prisons to curb crime
The cell signal shutdown is not an isolated action, but rather part of a package of measures the Government has been promoting to address the crisis in the penitentiary system, marked by overcrowding, internal corruption, and the proliferation of smuggled mobile phones.
In Colombia, many of these devices have been used to coordinate extortion, threats, scams, and other criminal activities that extend beyond penitentiaries and affect ordinary citizens, businesses, and public entities. Authorities have pointed out that the presence of cell phones inside prisons allows organized gangs to operate as if they were not in custody, undermining the authority of the state and the security of thousands of people.
The order to block signals in prisons such as Combita — a maximum-security facility located in the department of Boyaca, north of Bogota — responds in part to specific alerts from foreign authorities, including those issued by the government of El Salvador, which reported phone scams targeting Salvadorian citizens originating from these prisons. According to those complaints, the fraudulent calls were not only extortionate in nature but were also used to manipulate, intimidate, and extract money from victims in several countries across the region, prompting a coordinated response and international pressure to act swiftly.
For Minister Idarraga, the measure was unavoidable. “It cannot be possible that, with so much technology available, the only place in the world where signal blockers do not work is Colombia,” he said when announcing the intervention, stressing that there will be no technical excuses to halt the installation of these devices in the selected prisons. His remarks reflect a policy of “no truce” against illicit communications, a stance that has defined the official strategy in recent months.
Despite acknowledging that the measure, by itself, will not be sufficient to put an end to these crimes, the minister was clear: “If we do not eliminate cell phones in prisons, this violence is unlikely to stop.”
#NoticiasDelCambio | El Gobierno del presidente @petrogustavo inicia un plan de contingencia en 15 cárceles del país para modernizar las redes de comunicación y restringir las llamadas extorsivas y la criminalidad.
"Durante 12 años ningún gobierno le puso atención al… pic.twitter.com/SXweasyt86— MinJusticia Colombia (@MinjusticiaCo) January 26, 2026
Debate over effectiveness and rights
However, the implementation of signal blocking has generated — as was to be expected — debate among specialists, human rights advocates, and prison authorities. The measure, which in theory seeks to cut off illegal communications, raises questions about its real effectiveness, given that only some prisons have the appropriate infrastructure to install signal jammers and that technical and legal hurdles have limited their use in the past. In addition, some warn that these blockages may affect not only inmates but also authorized staff, visitors, and communities near the prisons, creating disruptions and operational challenges.
Experts point out that while signal interruption may hinder certain forms of crime originating from prisons, it does not replace other necessary actions, such as strengthening internal surveillance, eradicating corruption, improving detention conditions, and targeting the external support networks that facilitate the entry of mobile phones and other resources.
In this sense, some analysts warn that without a comprehensive policy addressing the root causes of criminality and institutional weakness, technological interventions may have a limited impact.
From the authorities’ perspective, controlling the technology used by inmates is one of the pillars for containing organized crime operating from prisons. This has been stated by those who designed the measure, arguing that only through stricter control over illegal communications can the incidence of crimes such as prison-based extortion be reduced — an offense that in recent years has shown troubling figures and has affected victims both inside and outside Colombia.
The decision to block signals in Colombian prisons represents the implementation of a measure long demanded by various sectors and security experts. While it seeks to cut at the root a specific problem — one as serious as it is growing over recent decades and not limited solely to Colombia — it also highlights the tensions between the need to combat crime and the technical and legal limits of the solutions adopted.
A long history of prison crime
Criminal activity originating inside Colombian prisons has become one of the most urgent problems authorities face. Far from serving a function of incarceration and — at least in theory — resocialization, several penitentiaries now operate as platforms from which crimes that directly affect the public are coordinated, with extortion being among the most frequent and lucrative.
According to official figures and repeated complaints from shop owners, transport workers, and ordinary citizens, much of this extortion is carried out through mobile phones that are illegally brought into prisons. From there, inmates contact their victims, pose as members of armed groups or criminal gangs, and demand payments under threats of violence. In many cases, the mere mention of a name or an address is enough to generate panic and force money transfers.
Authorities acknowledge that controlling mobile devices is one of the weakest points of the prison system. Despite seizure operations and announcements about signal blocking in prisons, cell phones continue to circulate easily, fueled by corruption networks and the lack of effective technological controls. Each confiscated phone is usually quickly replaced by another.
Security experts warn that prison-based extortion not only strengthens the finances of criminal structures but also undermines trust in the state. Victims often prefer to pay in silence rather than report the crime, out of fear of retaliation.
With the measure announced by the government, Colombia is implementing a policy — the blocking of mobile phone signals in prisons — that is already used in other countries in the region. The objective is clear: To prevent criminals, once arrested and incarcerated, from continuing their criminal activity on the other end of the phone.