In a significant operation against alleged human trafficking, Colombian immigration authorities have taken 17 children into protective custody after uncovering members of the controversial ultra-Orthodox Jewish sect Lev Tahor during a weekend raid.
Hotel Inspection Reveals Suspected Trafficking Network
The operation unfolded on Saturday in the town of Yarumal, located in northwestern Colombia, after local residents alerted authorities about the group's presence. Police moved quickly, citing warning signs of a potential trafficking network operating under religious guise.
Gloria Esperanza Arriero, director of Colombia's national immigration service, confirmed to The Associated Press that officials questioned nine adult sect members during a hotel inspection conducted on Sunday. According to a police report, "There are indications that some of them may have been kidnapped, suggesting a possible human trafficking scenario, under the guise of religious activity."
International Children with Interpol Alerts Found
The rescued children come from several countries, including the United States and Guatemala, and have been moved to a government-run protection center. Arriero revealed that five of the children were listed in Interpol Yellow Notices - global alerts specifically for missing persons or potential victims of parental or criminal abduction.
Authorities determined that the group arrived in Colombia in late October and was staying in a hotel while actively searching for rural land to establish a new base. The timing of the intervention proved crucial, as Arriero noted: "The positive thing in all of this is that we got to the children before they had a compound. Because in that case, we would have required a search warrant."
Lev Tahor's Controversial History Across Continents
Lev Tahor, known for its strict religious practices where women and girls wear black tunics covering them from head to toe, has been the subject of numerous investigations across multiple countries including Canada, the United States, Mexico, Guatemala, and Israel.
The sect, founded in the 1980s, has relocated various times amid ongoing scrutiny and allegations of child abuse, kidnapping, and human trafficking. A portion of the community established itself in Guatemala in 2013, and authorities estimate that Lev Tahor currently consists of around 50 families from several countries.
In Colombia, immigration officials maintain authorization to carry out checks in hotels to verify the legal status of foreign visitors and determine whether they are wanted by international law enforcement, a power that proved instrumental in this case.
