Through this result, the illicit activities of the GAO Clan del Golfo Cartel continue to be hit; in the same way troops contribute to the care of natural resources.
Within the framework of military operations and territorial control carried out in the municipalities of San Luis and Puerto Nare, department of Antioquia, troops of the Special Energy and Road Battalion No. 4 of the Fourth Brigade, in coordination with the National Police through the DICAR, SECAR and UNIMIL Antioquia, reported the disablement of machinery and elements used to carry out activities of illicit exploitation of mining deposits, allegedly at the service of the GAO Clan del Golfo.
During the intervention, two illegal Mining Production Units were found by troops and destroyed; these units were used for the illicit extraction of gold and the loss of the region's natural resources. Two excavators, three classifiers, four diver-type dredgers, five compressor-type engines, seven combustion motor pumps, an industrial engine, an electrical generator, two air compressors, 1,000 gallons of diesel, 600 meters of suction hose and four suction grenades were disabled at the site.
Through this important result of the military operation, an economic loss of more than 1000 million pesos was possible hitting this criminal structure, which was obtaining an estimated production of 10,080 grams of gold per month, equivalent to more than 5000 million pesos in the illegal market.
In the same way, the authorities evidenced a serious environmental damage caused by this illegal activity, with an approximate loss of six hectares of land, the removal of about 45,000 cubic meters of soil and subsoil, the deforestation of approximately 4,000 trees and the contamination of tributaries and water basins in the region. According to environmental authorities, the recovery of these ecosystems could take more than 30 years.
Source: Press - Seventh Division
