Charlie Hardy, an Australian citizen, was expelled from Colombia after attempting to enter the country through the Santa Marta airport. Colombian immigration authorities denied him entry due to an outstanding warrant issued by the Mayor’s Office of Medellín for allegedly violating sexual exploitation regulations.
The incident occurred last Thursday afternoon. According to Migración Colombia’s press release, Hardy arrived in Santa Marta from Amsterdam and was intercepted by immigration agents who discovered psychoactive substances in his luggage.
Upon checking his background, authorities found a warrant for Hardy’s alleged involvement in sexual exploitation in Medellín. Consequently, he was immediately expelled from the country. Colombian immigration authorities are empowered by Decree 1067 of 2015 to deny entry to foreigners who threaten national security, public order, public health, social tranquility, or public safety.
This case adds to over 90 arrests of foreigners for alleged sexual exploitation and commercial offenses involving minors in Medellín in recent months. For example, on Friday morning, Medellín police arrested a Bolivian national, Yeison Félix Olaguevel, 41, implicated in the sexual exploitation of a minor in Laureles, west of Medellín. Olaguevel was detained after a confrontation with the victim’s family, who discovered he had locked the minor up after assaulting her and not paying the agreed sum for the encounter.