Armed men detonated an explosive against an armored truck on a highway in Nariño: how was the multimillion-dollar robbery foiled?

NewsMillion-dollar robbery foiled in Nariño. Photo: Private archive, social media02.10.2026 14:03 Updated: 02.10.2026 14:22 Several minutes of tension, suspense and fear were experienced by the occupants of an armored car traveling along the old road in northern Nariño, when heavily armed men attacked them in an attempt to seize a huge sum of money, still undetermined. Robbery of an armored car foiled in Nariño. Photo:Private archive, social media READ ALSO The incident occurred, according to witnesses, on the 86-kilometer road corridor connecting the city of Pasto with the municipality of La Unión, on the afternoon of Thursday, October 1. Three employees of the company Transportadores de Valores del Sur were traveling in the vehicle, after having departed from La Unión bound for the capital of Nariño. The ordeal for the occupants of the armored vehicle began as it was passing through the area known as La Cañada, within the jurisdiction of the municipality of Arboleda, where it was met with several gunshots from armed men, forcing it to stop. READ ALSO Authorities informed the residents of the village of El Empate, very close to the site where the attack occurred, that at least ten men traveling in a white van attacked the armored car. They then shot out its four tires, preventing it from moving. There were threats and assaultsAfter forcing its three occupants out of the vehicle, they threatened and physically assaulted them. During the attack, the assailants seized the escorts' service weapons: two .38 caliber revolvers and a 16-gauge shotgun. The moments of terror continued when the armed men allegedly attempted to open the vehicle's safe by shooting at it, in order to seize the money being transported to a bank in the city of Pasto. Million-dollar robbery foiled in Nariño. Photo:Private archive, social media READ ALSO Everything indicates that, having failed to achieve their goal, the assailants allegedly threw an explosive device inside the truck, causing a powerful explosion that was heard by residents of that area of Nariño. Despite the powerful explosion, the thieves were unable to open the safe and, noticing the commotion beginning to build on the highway, decided to flee quickly to avoid being captured by the authorities. After the foiled attack, the men fled along a secondary road. The three occupants of the vehicle miraculously escaped the area unharmed, walking along the road until they came across a National Police patrol from the El Empate substation, which, upon arriving at the scene, found the armored car half-destroyed. READ ALSO Authorities are conducting investigations to determine whether the perpetrators of the attack were common criminals or a guerrilla group operating in that territory of the department. The road was closedDrivers traveling along the aforementioned road on the morning of this Friday, October 2, reported that it remained closed to vehicular traffic at the Juanambú bridge, apparently due to verification and explosive ordnance disposal work on devices allegedly found inside the armored vehicle, the target of the attempted robbery the previous day. The National Army's specialized anti-explosives personnel carried out the verification, deactivation, and removal of the explosive material from the vehicle. The road remained closed for several hours until the Army determined there was no risk to users of the road corridor. MAURICIO DE LA ROSASpecial for EL TIEMPOPastoRead more newsChrista Pike, sentenced to death, survives execution. Photo: Follow all the news from Colombia on Facebook and Twitter, or in our weekly newsletter. EL TIEMPO NEWSLETTERSSign up for our newsletters and receive news in your email according to your interests. Stay informed about what really matters to you. EL TIEMPO GOOGLE NEWSFollow us on GOOGLE NEWS. Always stay up to date with the latest news, coverage, stories and analysis directly on Google News. EL TIEMPO WHATSAPPJoin El Tiempo's WhatsApp channel to stay up to date with the most relevant news as it happens. EL TIEMPO APPStay informed with the EL TIEMPO app. Receive the latest news, coverage, stories and analysis directly on your device. SUBSCRIBE TO THE DIGITAL EDITIONReliable information for you. Subscribe to EL TIEMPO and access our journalistic content without limits.