As part of the operations aimed at combating illicit activities that degrade the soil, pollute water and put the health of nearby villages at risk, the Colombian Aerospace Force, the National Police and the Attorney General's Office, through coordinated and inter-institutional work, are carrying out a powerful operation in the north of the department of Cauca to combat the illicit exploitation of mining deposits.
This important result was obtained specifically in the municipality of Buenos Aires, on the Cauca River, where it was possible to destroy and disable 18 diver-type dredgers and 72 motor pumps, with which alleged Organized Armed Groups extracted approximately 3,744 grams of gold per month, an activity that generated a profitability close to 1,600 million pesos per month in the illegal market.
The effective operation of the Military Forces led not only to directly weaken illegal finances, but in the same way to protect a vital ecosystem such as the Cauca River, a water tributary that, in addition to be subject of protection, conservation, maintenance and restoration rights by the State, supplies water to rural communities and settlements specializing in agricultural activities on riverside hamlets.
This operation directly hits the criminal logistics of structures at the service of alias Marlon, linked to the Jaime Martínez Front. So far the year, Air Combat Command No. 7 has participated jointly, coordinated and interinstitutionally in more than 329 operations in the departments of Valle del Cauca, Cauca department and Nariño, leaving 22 units of yellow machinery disabled and 13 illegal mining production units hit, which has prevented the dumping of mercury and cyanide into rivers.
Source: Public Communications Office CACOM 7
