Cali's Dagma and Metropolitan Police have stepped up inspection operations during Holy Week to protect wild species. At the Transport Terminal, they seized eight live blue crabs and a smoked armadillo from Nariño. The efforts include educating travelers on illegal animal transport.
Cali, March 27, 2026. Ahead of Holy Week, the Department of Environmental Management Administration (Dagma) and the Metropolitan Police's Environmental Protection Group have ramped up inspection, surveillance, and control operations to prevent the trade of protected species.
Checks occurred in markets and the Transport Terminal, where vendors have shown improved attitudes, indicating greater awareness of wildlife preservation, authorities noted.
In one operation at the Terminal, officials seized eight live blue crabs ready for sale and a smoked armadillo from Nariño. The crabs will go to a transit home for recovery and later release.
Pedagogical actions targeted travelers, warning against carrying wildlife in styrofoam coolers. Jessica Galíndez Cerón, biologist with Dagma's Wildlife Management Group, stated that "the sale of wildlife constitutes an environmental crime in Colombia, with penalties of 60 to 135 months in prison and million-dollar fines".
The operations aim to safeguard species including wax palms, turtles, iguanas, sloths, armadillos, guaguas, parrots, and macaws, which face intense commercial pressure during Holy Week.
