Senior official claims Hotel Caribe authorities were alerted after hotel bill landed Secret Service

Washington, Apr 15 (ANI): A heated argument between at least one of the alleged prostitutes and at least one of the Secret Service agents first alerted authorities of the Hotel Caribe in Cartagena to the cavorting between Secret Service agents and prostitutes, a senior administrative official has claimed.

The official confirmed to ABC News that the frolic was about an argument over the bill for the services that were rendered to the agents and prostitutes staying in the hotel.

The Hotel Caribe authorities learnt that there had been some activity between Secret Service agents and prostitutes after probing the scandal.

The inspection led the hotel authorities to have questions about 22 Americans: 17 agents and 5 soldiers, whose names were reported to the superior U.S. military official present there.

The official said not all 22 men had hired prostitutes, and claimed that some of them might merely have been attending a party and violating curfew.

According to reports on the charges of their misconduct, 11 Secret Service agents have been sent back to the United States. But five U.S. Special Forces members remained in Colombia, as per the request of the Secret Service.

The State Department revealed that "Sexual tourism" was reportedly widespread in Cartagena and other coastal cities in Columbia. (ANI)