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How we helped when this nomad got taken into custody in Colombia
A group of friends were on our way home from a going away event in the neighborhood of La Candeleria, Bogota. As we were walking home and stopped at a small tienda la policia rolled up and ordered us all to stand against the wall. They had their guns drawn and were screaming ‘Estamos en Colombia’ while waving around their arms. At this point I was not sure if they were even real cops. They asked to see our passports and as I was the first they asked and did not have it on me because I did not want to get it stolen, they threw me into the back of their paddy wagon.
Detained & Released
Be a prepared:
It's not a big secret that at times, dealing with Colombian police will be hairy - and if you are unlucky, you could be stuck with a rotten bunch.
Last year nearly 8000 Colombian policemen were investigated for corruption and abuse of authority allegations, and scandal has plagued the force.
Many Colombian police officers are quite young, and can suffer from a level of immaturity - which can lead to situations like the one you found yourself in.
It's important to take extra care to behave yourself while in Colombia - you don't want to give the police extra reason to detain you.
Your advice is very sound, we can all learn from your experience!
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