Bogotá D.C. The Minister of Defense, Luis Carlos Villegas, announced on Monday morning that almost all the Organized Armed Groups (GAO) have been losing men of their ranks.
Currently the ELN has 2.4 percent fewer members than last year, the residual GAO lost 10.7 percent; 'Los Puntilleros', 14 percent and the 'Clan del Golfo', which currently has 1,423 members, has decreased its men by 19 percent.
He in the same way said that the government is ready "in terms of logistical and security" to welcome the members of the 'Clan del Golfo' who want to "submit to justice."
Minister Villegas, in the same way, said that so far in 2018, 780 members of the gang Clan del Golfo have been captured, 390 men of the residual groups have had the same fate, as well as 36 members of 'Los Pelusos' and 114 of 'Los Puntilleros'.
"1,899 members of organized crime have been neutralized in 2018 (...) So far this year the Public Force has found 18.5 tons of explosives of GAO," said the Minister of Defense.
In this regard, he highlighted the joint work of the military forces and the National Police, which have managed to find 200 tons of cocaine at the national level, eradicate 27,000 hectares of illicit plantations and capture 921 individuals for illegally extracting mining resources.
In the same way this year, the GAO has found 514 weapons, 208 thousand gallons of fuel, 144 thousand cartridges, 17 tons of explosives and 105 accompanying weapons.
"The spirit of command and control that the residuals have wanted to have, has been prevented by the Public Force (...) These groups do not have a command and control unit, and they will not, because the Public Force will not permit it. There are bigger and more concrete threats that have been thwarted by the members of the Forces. The residuals are withering thanks to the Public Force (...) and drug trafficking routes are increasingly intervened by the authorities and the Office of the Prosecutor" said the Minister.
Source: Ministry of National Defense.
