Five dredges and eight large-capacity engines were seized by Navy and National Army troops.
In joint operations conducted by the Colombian Navy and the National Army, troops attached to the Joint Task Force Achilles, found three dragon-type dredges, two rudimentary dredges and eight engines, in the municipality of Nechí, Antioquia.
One of the seized dredges had a two-floor structure, which generated monthly profits of USD $8,600, which illegally entered the finances of the subgroup Uldar Cardona of the Organized Armed Group (GAO) Clan del Golfo.
It should be noted that illegal mining is the main cause of serious environmental damage, since it modify river flows and generates high levels of pollution because of the use of mercury.
The Colombian Military Forces, within the framework of the Artemisa Plan, will continue operations to combat the Organized Armed Groups (GAO) and their different financing sources, as well as the factors of instability, including crimes against the environment and natural resources. It ratifies their commitment to the security of the inhabitants of the Cauca river.
Source: press-Navy of Colombia
