Military action protects the local economy and prevents the distribution of fraudulent money.
In the framework of stability and territorial control operations carried out by troops of the Light Infantry Battalion N.° 27 Magdalena, of the Ninth Brigade, elements that allegedly would be used for the counterfeiting of Colombian currency were found by troops in the rural area of the village of Bruselas, municipality of Pitalito, department of Huila.
The action was reported in the village of El Cedro, where soldiers carrying out intelligence activities, search and identified an abandoned box on the side of the road axis. According to initial reports, several people would have fled the place upon noticing the troops' activity.
After implementing the security protocols and carrying out the verification of the items found, it was established that there were 2930 sheets of paper in the box that, although at first glance they seemed to be blank, revealed by ultraviolet light impressions and characteristics similar to those used in Colombian peso 50,000 bills.
According to the preliminary review, the elements found would amount to a potential production of approximately 146 million pesos in counterfeit currency, resources that would allegedly be used to strengthen illicit activities and criminal activities in the region.
The first hypotheses indicate that this element could be related to a network specialized in currency counterfeiting and money laundering, which would maintain links through illegal armed structures that commit crimes in the south of the country.
Beyond the figure, this result represents a preventive action in favor of the inhabitants, by preventing fake money from reaching the hands of merchants, transporters, agricultural producers and citizens, who are usually the main ones affected by this type of crime.
The elements were put into custody of the authorities, who will carry out the technical analysis and the corresponding investigations to establish their origin, responsible and possible connections with criminal organizations.
Source: Press – National Army
