As part of the binational agreements signed by the Colombian and Brazilian Armies, a binational military operation was carried out led by the Twenty-Sixth Rainforest Brigade of Colombian National Army, with the support of the Air Assault Division, the Colombian Aerospace Force and the Attorney General's Office.
The joint operation led to the destruction of eight illegal mining production units on the Puré River, in the indigenous territory of Tarapacá, department of Amazonas, on the Colombian-Brazilian border.
It is important to note that this tributary has been recognized by the Colombian State as a subject of rights, so its protection and conservation are fundamental for the soldiers in this region of the country.
In this way, the estimated value of the machinery intervened and destroyed amounts to about five million dollars. Within the material neutralized there are 34 dredgers, 3 rafts loaded with fuel, 4 boats and about 10,000 gallons of fuel, all used in activities of illicit exploitation of mining deposits that generated a serious impact on the flora and fauna of the Amazon.
Thanks to this powerful result, the finances of the residual armed group organized Comandos de Frontera, which benefited indiscriminately from this illegal activity, are directly disturbed.
It is estimated that this structure will stop receiving about 25 million dollars a year, potentially received by extracting more than 38 kilograms of gold per month.
These operations strengthen the joint efforts conducted by Colombia and Brazil, weakening the criminal substructures and their transnational alliances. They in the same way contribute to the protection of the environment and the tranquility of the inhabitants of the south of the country and the Amazonian border region.
Source: Press-National Army
