Colombian drug cop leaves crime-plagued Bogota to teach salsa in Scarborough
A DRUG cop has left the crime-plagued streets of Bogota to teach salsa in Scarborough.
Omy Belisario, 37, was part of a SWAT team going after drug cartels, bank robbers and kidnappers in the Colombia capital, where the Pablo Escobar TV show Narcos is based.
But after being involved in numerous shoot-outs and surviving assassination attempts 18-stone Omy, nicknamed The Bear by colleagues, wanted the quiet life.
He said: “Every single week you have a shooting or a kidnapping.”
Omy and wife Karla, 35, split after moving to the UK but remain dance partners at their school in the North Yorkshire resort.
He said: “We are happy because we are doing something we love.
“Dancing is like shooting. It just takes practice. Now I don’t have to watch my back all the time.”
DANGEROUS WORK
Omy first served as a motorcycle cop patrolling Bogota which was so dangerous he had to wear bullet proof glasses.
He then then spent four years on a SWAT team armed with a Glock 9mm pistol, Uzi sub machine gun, shotgun and a FAL assault rifle.
Their dangerous work meant Omy had a series of close shaves.
He said: “One day I was off duty and was on my motorbike with my wife when I was spotted by two gunmen who had recognised me.
“They gave chase but luckily I got away.
'MADE SURE I DIDN'T MISS'
“Two days later I was visiting my mother when I was off duty and a gun man jumped out of a car and started shooting.
“He also missed but I was carrying a back-up pistol and again, I made sure I didn’t miss.
”It turned out he was the brother of the man I had shot two days earlier and he wanted revenge.
After leaving the force he trained as a private body guard protecting VIPs from kidnap attempts including pop stars such as Madonna and Britney Spears.
But behind the tough-guy image, Omy had a passion for salsa after he was taught it as a child by his older sister.
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He performed jokey routines to entertain his Swat team but never dreamed it would be more than a hobby until he was contacted by his former colleague who had retired to Scarborough.
“Most of my students are shocked when I tell them what I used to do. Some suggested I join the British police but I love my salsa and the quiet life.
“I never expected to spend my life teaching dance but here I am.
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