Rosso José Serrano Cadena (August 30, 1942) is a former

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

of the Colombian National Police from 1994 to 2000 during

Ernesto Samper Ernesto Samper Pizano (born 3 August 1950) served as the President of Colombia from 1994 to 1998. From 2014 to 2017 he served as the Secretary General of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR). He is a lawyer, economist, academic and pol ...

's presidency and was one of the masterminds behind the dismantling of the Cali Cartel and

Medellín Cartel The Medellín Cartel () was a powerful and highly organized Colombian drug cartel and terrorist organization originating in the city of Medellín, Colombia, that was founded and led by Pablo Escobar. It is often considered to be the first major ...

. Serrano received numerous national and international decorations for his work against illicit drugs, drug-trafficking and the restructuring of the Colombian Police. He is currently working as head of the

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

n diplomatic mission to

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

Early years

Born in Vélez, Santander, Serrano joined the Colombian National Police in 1960, attended classes in the " General Santander Police Academy" graduating in Police Administration and also received a doctorate in law and political sciences from La Gran Colombia University.

Public image and recognition

Serrano was described with words like "hero" in international

media outlets Mass media include the diverse arrays of media that reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit information electronically via media such as films, radio, recorded music, or television. Digital media comprises bot ...

. The American

Congressman A member of congress (MOC), also known as a congressman or congresswoman, is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official body called a congress, typically to represent a particular constituency in a legislature. The t ...

Bob Barr Robert Laurence Barr Jr. (born November 5, 1948) is an American attorney and politician who served as president of the National Rifle Association from 2024 to 2025. He previously served as a federal prosecutor and as a U.S. Representative, repr ...

called him a "true hero in the War on Drugs". Serrano was twice chosen as the ''World's Top Cop'' by the International Association of Police Chiefs. The Los Angeles Times wrote in 2000:

Serrano’s ability to anticipate change and respond has allowed him to survive four defense ministers and two presidents during his more than five years as police director. That’s impressive for a kid from the little town of Velez who admits that he joined the police at age 17 because he liked the uniform. “Serrano is more than a great policeman,” said
Myles Frechette Myles Robert Rene Frechette (25 April 1936 – 1 July 2017) was U.S. Ambassador to Cameroon (1983-1987) and Colombia (1994-1997). A career diplomat, he joined the US Foreign Service in 1963; other positions include assistant U.S. trade representat ...
, former U.S. ambassador to Colombia.

Parapolitics Scandal

On May 16, 2007 in a court hearing in Medellín, former paramilitary warlord and commander of the

United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia The United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (''Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia'', or AUC, in Spanish) were a Colombian far-right paramilitary and drug trafficking group which was an active belligerent in the Colombian armed conflict during the ...

(AUC) Salvatore Mancuso declared that the former director in chief of the Colombian National Police and current ambassador of Colombia to

Rosso José Serrano had intervened on behalf of the AUC leaders captured in

La Guajira Department La Guajira () is a department of Colombia. It occupies most of the Guajira Peninsula in the northeast region of the country, on the Caribbean Sea and bordering Venezuela, at the northernmost tip of South America. The capital city of the depart ...

which included Rodrigo Tovar Pupo (aka "Jorge 40").

Popular culture

* In TV Series '' El cartel'' is portrayed by the colombian actor Germán Quintero as the character of Javier Ibarra. *In the American crime thriller drama '' Narcos'' he is portrayed by the actor Gaston Velandia.

References

External links

fas.orgRosso Jose Serrano speech - European UnionCalle22 on Rosso Jose Serrano
{{DEFAULTSORT:Serrano, Rosso 1942 births Living people Colombian police officers Colombian parapolitics scandal Ambassadors of Colombia to Austria