Seven individuals belonging to the Los Taladores gang, who specialized in the illicit exploitation of natural resources and deforestation in sensitive areas of the Colombian Amazon, were arrested.
In the operation, an illegal collection center with more than 360 m3 of wood was dismantled, which is equivalent to more than 750 hectares of the Nukak Reserve; the wood was being destined for illegal commercialization.
Minister Susana Muhamad highlighted that this operation is part of the operations being carried out in the Amazon region within the framework of the National Council to Combat Deforestation (CONALDEF).
In a joint and simultaneous operation of Colombian National Army, with the support of the Anti-Narcotics Police, the SIJIN (JUDICIAL POLICE), the Attorney General's Office and the Corporation for the Sustainable Development of the North and East Amazon (CDA), it was possible to dismantle a gang specialized in the illicit exploitation of natural resources in the municipalities of San José del Guaviare, Calamar, El Retorno and in the village of La Primavera, in the department of Guaviare. Thanks to intelligence work, an illegal collection center with more than 360 m3 of wood, valued at approximately 324 million pesos, was dismantled.
In a joint and coordinated operation conducted by the army, the police and the National Prosecutor's Office, the arrest of these people who were cutting down the Amazon rainforest and then illegally commercializing it, took place. “This result is part of the coordination that has been done through Conaldef and that demonstrates the commitment we have as a Government to contain deforestation in strategic areas of the country,” commented the Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development, Susana Muhamad.
The operation, framed in the mission of protecting the environment in the department of Guaviare, was led by troops of the 19th and 24th infantry battalions. Seven individuals were arrested accused of crimes such as illicit exploitation of renewable natural resources, promotion and financing of deforestation, and association to commit crimes. In addition, a collection center for the illegal sale of timber was seized, thus dismantling a dangerous gang that threatened the Colombian Amazon.
Thanks to the work of military intelligence and due to several months of follow-up, it was possible to dismantle the gang called The Loggers, responsible for the illegal timber trade and the deforestation of ecologically sensitive areas near the Nukak National Natural Park. This group has destroyed more than 800 hectares of rainforest, said Brigadier General Jaime Eduardo Torres Ramirez, commander of Rainforest Brigade No. 22 in Guaviare.
Torres added that among those arrested are alias Serafín and alias Dora, ringleaders of this criminal structure. In the same way, other arrested are alias Yamit, responsible for financing and falsifying the safe-conducts for the illegal transport of timber, and alias Omar, in charge of logistics and hiring personnel for illegal logging.
The seven arrested were put into custody of the authorities for prosecution, while the confiscation of the material was carried out in accordance with article 328 of the Criminal Code.
We highlight the commitment of the people who, upon becoming aware of the importance of protecting natural resources, promptly denounced these crimes through the enabled channels. This result contributes to mitigating the alerts set out in Early Warning 007 of 2024, positively impacting the environmental rights of the department of Amazonas.
Source: Press - Fourth Division of Colombian National Army
