COLOMBIA · SECURITY
Key Facts
- Power Index Colombia ranks 6th of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 51.9 points (October 2026 edition).
- What is happening Police say they stopped a car with 78 homemade bombs, about 117 kilograms, near a Nariño toll booth on Monday, 2 November.
- Why it matters The find came a day after a truck bomb killed four people in Planadas, and weeks after a car bomb wrecked a toll booth in neighbouring Cauca.
- The numbers Police count 78 devices, about 117 kilograms (258 pounds); they say one man was arrested and a second occupant escaped.
- Who is who The national police traffic unit made the stop; the president named a FARC dissident front led by alias Iván Mordisco, whose role is under investigation.
- What to watch Whether prosecutors confirm the toll as the target, charge the arrested man, and identify the second occupant and any armed group behind the plot.
- What it means for you The Pan-American Highway between Pasto and Popayán is a main road to Ecuador; US travellers should check the State Department advisory before road trips in Nariño and Cauca.
Police in Colombia’s Nariño department stopped a car with 78 homemade explosive devices near a highway toll booth on Monday. The president says the alleged toll bomb plot is under investigation.
Police in Nariño, a department in south-west Colombia, say they stopped a car carrying 78 homemade bombs on Monday, 2 November. The car was near the Cano Bajo toll booth on the Pan-American Highway in the municipality of Chachagüí.
The explosives weighed about 117 kilograms (258 pounds) and were allegedly meant for the toll, President Abelardo de la Espriella said. For US readers, it is a reminder that Colombia’s main highway south to Ecuador is exposed to bomb threats.
What Police Found
According to police, officers of the national traffic and transport unit stopped a gray Renault Logan on the Pasto-Mojarras road. The stop was at kilometre 36, at the entrance to a side road near the toll booth.
Police say bomb-disposal specialists counted 78 improvised devices, locally called tatucos, in the trunk. The president said they were packed in two 40-pound cylinders.
Police also reported two propelling charges and about five kilograms (11 pounds) of black powder. The president put the total weight at 117 kilograms.
The Arrest and the Alleged Target
Police say one occupant was arrested at the scene and the other escaped. Neither man has been named.
Police give the presumed charge as manufacturing, trafficking or carrying weapons, restricted ammunition or explosives. The man is presumed innocent until a court rules, and his identity is not public.
The president said the car came from El Remolino, a village in Taminango, and was heading for the Cano Bajo toll. He called that preliminary information, and investigators are still verifying it.
Who the President Names
In a social media post, the president said the Franco Benavides front operates in the area. He called it a FARC dissident group led by alias Iván Mordisco.
The FARC was a guerrilla army that signed a peace deal in 2016, and the dissidents are former members who rejected it. Authorities are investigating whether the front helped prepare the attack, but its involvement is not confirmed.
The president called the plot narcoterrorist, a label his government applies to armed groups tied to the drug trade. No authority has said the arrested man belongs to any group in the sources checked.
A Violent Weekend in the South-West
The seizure came a day after a truck bomb killed four people, including a two-month-old baby, in Planadas, in Tolima department. The Tolima governor gave that toll, and the Army says it is working to identify those responsible.
Toll booths on the Pan-American Highway have been hit before. A car bomb destroyed a toll in Cauca, the department north of Nariño, on Monday, 12 October, and wounded several people.
What It Means for US Readers
The Pan-American Highway between Pasto and Popayán carries trucks, buses and travellers heading to Colombia’s border with Ecuador. US visitors should check the State Department’s Colombia advisory and local conditions before any road trip in Nariño or Cauca.
Colombia is a close US security partner, so attacks on roads feed the debate over security aid. Nothing exploded here, so there is no damage or casualty count.
Related reports: Colombia Truck Bomb Kills 4, Including Baby and Car Bomb Hits Colombia Highway Toll, 3 Hurt. More is on the Colombia hub and in the Colombia security guide.
What Is Not Known
As of 2:30 a.m. ET on Tuesday, 3 November, prosecutors had not published a statement on the case in the sources checked. The toll as target and the dissident link rest on preliminary information from the president.
The president said the devices were in two 40-pound cylinders, about 36 kilograms (80 pounds), well short of 117 kilograms. No source explains the gap.
The time of the stop was not stated. Whether police have found the second occupant is also unknown.
What Comes Next
Investigators are working to establish where the explosives came from, which group was involved and who the second occupant was. President Abelardo de la Espriella has vowed to keep up operations against armed groups.
The Army has intensified operations in Tolima after Planadas. A single foiled plot does not show whether attacks on roads are easing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did police find in Nariño, Colombia?
Police say they stopped a car with 78 homemade explosive devices, about 117 kilograms, near the Cano Bajo toll on 2 November. They say one occupant was arrested.
Who was behind the toll booth plot?
No court has blamed anyone. The president named a FARC dissident front, and authorities say they are investigating its possible role.
Is it safe to drive the Pan-American Highway in Nariño?
Armed groups have attacked tolls and roads in the south-west this autumn. Check the State Department’s Colombia advisory and local police guidance before travelling.
Is this linked to the Planadas truck bomb?
No authority has said the two are connected in the sources checked. They happened a day apart in different departments, Nariño and Tolima.
Sources: Policía Nacional de Colombia, news pages; Presidency of Colombia, including the president’s social media post of 2 November 2026; statements by police and the president as relayed in Colombian regional reports of 2 November 2026. The police news page had not yet carried the case on 3 November 2026 (accessed that day).
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief