On May 7, Colombia’s Special Assets Society (SAE) recovered the property known as Tito’s Bolos, in northern Barranquilla, ending an occupation that had lasted for nearly 30 years. The Abundant Life Christian Church had accumulated a debt of 2.2 billion pesos (US$593,300) due to its systematic failure to pay rent for the property in the San Rafael neighborhood. The operation was carried out with the participation of the National Police and representatives from the Ombudsman’s Office to ensure the restitution of the public asset.
The building, which initially housed Tito’s Bowling Alley, has a total area of 4,533 square meters (approximately 48,800 square feet). SAE officials took physical possession of the site after exhausting all attempts at mediation with the congregation’s leaders.
Origin of the property and process of extinction of ownership
Colombian authorities seized the property from the Nasser-Arana family during the 1990s due to their involvement in drug trafficking and money laundering. Julio Cesar Nasser David and Sheila Arana lost ownership of the property following one of the most extensive asset forfeiture operations in the Colombian Caribbean.
After the National Directorate of Narcotics was dissolved, the SAE assumed its functions and manages the property through the Fund for Rehabilitation, Social Investment, and the Fight against Organized Crime (FRISCO). The church’s failure to make payments resulted in financial losses that the SAE seeks to remedy through the physical and legal recovery of the property.
Legal dispute and conflicting accounts of investments
The church’s lawyer, Humberto Atencio, rejected the legality of the administrative eviction procedure and questioned the amount claimed. The legal team maintained that the congregation had invested over 2.5 billion pesos (US$666,000) in maintaining the old bowling alley. According to the religious organization, these structural improvements should offset any outstanding balance for land use.
The SAE confirmed that the amount owed corresponds to unpaid fees from 2020 until the date of the proceedings. The entity clarified that improvements not contractually authorized do not exempt the occupant from their monthly monetary obligations.
Tensions during the restitution of the property
Dozens of parishioners surrounded the building with banners and sang religious hymns to try to prevent state officials from entering. The church’s private security personnel initially blocked the entrance doors, leading to verbal altercations with the police inspectors.
The protesters argued that the eviction violated freedom of worship and the social work carried out in the area for three decades. Police maintained a security cordon while SAE (Special Assets Administration) workers inventoried the remaining movable property inside. After several hours of civil resistance, the congregation was granted full access to finalize the administrative handover.
Pastoral leadership and expansion in South Florida
The Abundant Life Ministry operates under the direction of Pastor Orlando de la Ossa and his wife, Maritza de la Ossa. The religious leaders founded an eponymous branch in Miami, Florida, where the organization has conducted religious and community activities for several years. Records in the United States link the pastoral leadership to the management of assets and meeting places in exclusive areas of Miami-Dade County.
Colombian authorities stated that the operation was limited exclusively to the local asset without interfering in the international activities of the religious leadership. The SAE (Special Assets Society) will maintain permanent surveillance of the site in Barranquilla to prevent unauthorized access while it determines the final disposition of the recovered infrastructure.