Colombia Seizes 400 Kilos of Explosives Bound for Cali
COLOMBIA · SECURITY
Key Facts
- —The country Colombia, a South American nation of over 50 million people, is a close US partner against armed groups and cocaine.
- —The background Cauca, a south-western province on the Pan-American Highway, is a stronghold of FARC rebels who rejected the 2016 peace deal.
- —Why now In August police stopped 420 kilograms of explosive material on the same highway, two days before the presidential inauguration.
- —What happened On Tuesday, 6 October, a checkpoint in Santander de Quilichao found about 400 kilos of explosives inside a vehicle.
- —The players President Abelardo de la Espriella said the load was bound for Cali to attack security forces and civilians.
- —What it means for you The US State Department already tells Americans not to travel to Cauca, except its capital, Popayán.
- —Still open Investigators have not confirmed which armed group sent the explosives or what exact target was planned.
A roadside check on Colombia’s main southern highway stopped what the president called a threat of enormous gravity to Cali.
Colombian security forces seized about 400 kilos of explosives on Tuesday, 6 October, in Santander de Quilichao, Cauca province. President Abelardo de la Espriella said the load was headed for Cali to attack security forces and civilians.
Cali is Colombia’s third-largest city. The find is the second large explosives seizure on the same highway in two months.
What Was Found on the Highway
The president said on X that police found the 400 kilos of explosives inside a vehicle in the town centre. The material was preliminarily identified as C4, a military-grade plastic explosive.
That is roughly 880 pounds. A blast that size in a populated area could cause numerous victims, De la Espriella said, according to the magazine Semana.
He said initial information showed the load was being moved from Mondomo, a village to the south, toward Cali. The Pan-American Highway links the two through Santander de Quilichao.
The Bogotá daily El Tiempo reported that troops of the army’s 29th Brigade made the stop at a checkpoint on the highway. It said the 60-year-old driver of the vehicle, a small Piaggio utility truck, was arrested.
Who Is Suspected
El Tiempo said authorities preliminarily link the load to the Jaime Martínez front, still under verification. That front belongs to the Estado Mayor Central, or EMC, a network of FARC dissidents.
The FARC, once Colombia’s largest guerrilla army, signed a peace deal in 2016. Dissident factions rejected the deal and kept fighting in rural areas such as Cauca.
The same front was blamed for the August plot. On 5 August, police intercepted a bus carrying 420 kilograms of ammonium nitrate on the highway, also in Santander de Quilichao.
El Tiempo reported at the time that the bus was allegedly meant for an attack around the 7 August presidential inauguration.
A Test for the New Government
De la Espriella, a conservative lawyer, took office on 7 August promising a hard line against armed groups. His interior minister, Rodrigo Lara, is preparing an anti-terrorism statute for Congress.
According to El Tiempo, the bills would create terrorist lists modelled on those of the United States, the EU and the UN. They would also allow special prison regimes for the leaders of listed groups.
The drafts are expected in Congress in the coming days, after review by the presidency’s legal office. The seizure in Cauca is likely to feature in that debate.
What It Means for You
For travellers, the US State Department rates Colombia at Level 3, “Reconsider Travel”. It puts Cauca, except Popayán, at Level 4, “Do Not Travel”, along with Arauca and Norte de Santander.
The advisory warns that terrorists and criminal groups in Colombia may attack with little or no warning. Cali itself is not on the Level 4 list, but the road south of the city runs through Cauca.
For US policy, Washington has listed FARC-EP, its name for FARC dissidents, as a foreign terrorist organisation since December 2021. Colombia’s planned designation lists would align its own legal tools more closely with that approach.
For investors, the episode shows that security risk in Colombia’s south-west remains high. Cali and the surrounding Valle del Cauca are home to sugar, logistics and manufacturing firms.
What Is Not Known
The armed group behind the load has not been confirmed, and no target beyond Cali has been named. It is not clear whether the explosive is C4, as the preliminary identification says.
El Tiempo mentioned a second device reported later on Tuesday, without further detail. Accounts also differ on whether the army or the police made the stop.
What Comes Next
Prosecutors are expected to bring the arrested driver before a judge to seek charges. Investigators will try to confirm what the 400 kilos of explosives contained and who sent them.
The seizure does not mean an attack on Cali is imminent or that the city is under a new alert. It does show that the highway from Cauca remains a route for explosives.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Santander de Quilichao?
It is a town in northern Cauca province, on the Pan-American Highway south of Cali. The highway is the main road between the city and the far south-west.
Is it safe to visit Cali?
Cali is not on the US Level 4 list, but Colombia as a whole is rated Level 3, Reconsider Travel. Travellers should check the latest State Department advisory and avoid road travel through Cauca.
Who are the FARC dissidents?
They are former FARC guerrillas and new recruits who rejected the 2016 peace deal. The US lists a dissident network as FARC-EP on its foreign terrorist organisation list.
Has this happened before?
Yes, on 5 August police intercepted a bus with 420 kilograms of ammonium nitrate in the same town. Authorities blamed the same dissident front.
Sources: President Abelardo de la Espriella, statement on X (6 October 2026), as quoted by El Tiempo and Semana; US State Department, Colombia travel advisory; US State Department, foreign terrorist organisations; El Tiempo, 5 August 2026; El Tiempo, anti-terrorism statute (all accessed 7 October 2026).
Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief · Editorial standards · Report an error