27 mining production units were broke up by the troops in different parts of the department, areas in which the resources of the Army were combined to combat this crime that seriously affects ecosystems.
Within the framework of the Ayacucho Plus Campaign Plan, troops of the Colombian National Army, in coordination with the Colombian Aerospace Force and the National Navy, carried out powerful operations against the illicit exploitation of mining deposits in the department of Amazonas.
The events were held simultaneously at two strategic points: the Clemencia Island sector, on the Caquetá River in Puerto Santander, and the Cotuhé River, in the Tarapacá area.
In the first operation, carried out by air assault by troops of the Ground Operations Battalion No. 21 of the Twenty-Sixth Rainforest Brigade, with the support of the Marte Group, the Mobility and Maneuver Battalion No. 6, the Amazon Air Group and Navy Infantry units, it was possible to find and destroy 13 mining production units, including eight dredgers. In the same way, 500 grams of mercury, 1.5 grams of gold, four cell phones, a passport and a pneumatic carbine were seized.
This illicit construction would belong to the Jhonier Arenas residual structure of the Manuel Marulanda Vélez bloc of FARC dissidents, generating an economic loss of more than 4,997 million pesos. It is estimated that this organization obtained about 23,979 grams of gold per month, valued at more than 13,377 million pesos.
At the same time, in the Cotuhé River, troops of the 50th Infantry Battalion, with the support of the Air Assault Aviation Division, the Command Against Drug Trafficking and Transnational Threats (CONAT) and the Colombian Aerospace Force, through river insertion, found and disabled 14 alluvium-type mining production units.
During this operation, nine dredgers, multiple electricity generators, 17 outboard motors, fuel, motor pumps and other elements used in the illicit activity were destroyed. In addition, 28 grams of gold and a 16-caliber carbine were seized.
These structures would be at the service of the residual organized armed group Comandos de Frontera; this operation becomes an economic loss exceeding 5,754 million pesos. It is estimated that this organization produced about 27,000 grams of gold per month, with an approximate cost of 15,050 million pesos.
Both operations led to a significant weakening of the finances of these organized armed groups, hitting one of their main sources of illegal financing.
In the same way, in the framework of environmental protection, serious damage to ecosystems was evidenced, especially in water sources, which hit biodiversity and ecological balance. It is estimated that the environmental recovery of these areas could exceed ten years, depending on the restoration acts implemented.
The confiscated items were put into custody of the Attorney General's Office, through the crimes against natural resources and the environment unit.
Source: Press - National Army
