Cúcuta ex-official Miguel Castellanos killed in road attack

Miguel Castellanos, former secretary of government of Cúcuta and a retired National Police officer, was shot dead on Monday night, 26 October 2026, while traveling on the Anillo Vial ring road in the Norte de Santander capital. He was moving from Los Patios toward the El Pórtico sector when a motorcycle approached his pickup truck and struck it. Castellanos stopped the vehicle and got out to speak with the motorcyclist, but the encounter ended in an armed attack.

Security Secretary George Quintero said Castellanos had traveled to Cúcuta to deal with a family emergency because his brother was hospitalized and awaiting surgery. The former official took an afternoon flight while his bodyguards traveled by road, so he was riding only with his son and without his security detail at the time of the attack.

“From the Governor's Office we ask the authorities to move forward with all institutional capacity to clarify this crime.”

Norte de Santander Governor William Villamizar Laguado condemned the killing through social media and asked authorities to use all institutional capacity to clarify the crime. He offered condolences to Castellanos's wife and children, his brothers Jairo Alberto Castellanos Serrano and Leandro Castellanos, and other relatives and friends.

The Bogotá Controller's Office also expressed solidarity, especially with Leandro Castellanos, who serves as a Bogotá city council member, and called on authorities to carry out the pertinent investigations to identify those responsible.

Authorities have raised the reward for information leading to the identification and capture of those responsible to 100 million pesos. Investigators are also examining whether there was prior surveillance of the victim.