A group claiming to be part of the neo-paramilitary “Urabeños” warned stores located on the campus of Medellin’s University of Antioquia campus that if they do not pay a “war tax” they will be killed.
According to pamphlets strewn all over campus last week, store owners who fail to pay “war taxes” of $550 to $1,100 before Tuesday will “expose themselves to attack.”
The University’s Vice Chancellor John Jairo Arboleda told multiple news outlets that the proper authorities have been alerted and the appropriate security measures will be implemented to ensure the safety of students and faculty.
The Urabeños are a group formed by former members of paramilitary organization AUC. The group exercises control primarily in the north of Colombia, but have increased their influence in Colombia’s second largest city of Medellin after the arrest of “Sebastian,” leader of Medellin-based crime syndicate “Oficina de Envigado.”