Colombian immigration authorities have taken 17 children into protective custody after a weekend raid uncovered members of the ultra-Orthodox Jewish sect Lev Tahor, a group long accused of child abuse, kidnapping and human trafficking in many countries.
Gloria Esperanza Arriero, director of Colombia’s national immigration service, confirmed to The Associated Press that officials interviewed nine adult members of the sect during an inspection of a hotel in the northwestern Colombian city of Yarumal on Sunday.
Possible kidnapping, trafficking
Police said the operation took place on Saturday after residents alerted authorities to the group’s presence. Officers moved quickly and raised red flags about a potential business network.
According to the 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.
The children, who come from several countries, including the United States and Guatemala, have been moved to a government-run shelter.
Interpol alerts
Arriero said five of the rescued children were listed in Interpol yellow notices, which are global alerts for missing persons or potential victims of parental or criminal abduction.
She said her agency acted after learning the group had arrived in Colombia at the end of October and were staying in a hotel while looking for rural land to set up a new base.
Authorities intervened before the sect set up the compound
Arriero noted that officials were able to act quickly because the group lacked an established location.
“The positive thing about all of this is that we got to the kids before they had the campus,” she said. “Because in that case we would require a search warrant.
In Colombia, immigration officials are authorized to conduct checks at hotels to verify the legal status of foreign visitors and determine whether they are wanted by international law enforcement.
Charges against Lev Tahor
Lev Tahor – known for strict religious practices where women and girls wear black tunics covering them from head to toe – has been the subject of numerous investigations in Canada, the US, Mexico, Guatemala and Israel.
The sect, which was founded in the 1980s, moved several times during the review. Part of the community established itself in Guatemala in 2013. Authorities estimate that Lev Tahor currently consists of about 50 families from several countries.
