Within the framework of the Amazonas Plan, the Fourth Brigade of Colombian National Army has carried out the finding and intervention of 18 areas hit by the illicit extraction of mining deposits in this region of the country so far in 2025.
During military operations, troops of the Special Energy and Road Battalion No. 4, attached to the Fourth Brigade, in coordination with the National Unit against Illegal Mining of the National Police, intervened four units specialized in the illegal extraction of gold, in the rural area of the municipality of San Carlos, Eastern subregion of the department of Antioquia.
2 excavators, 4 engines and a diver-type dredger were disabled at the site. By means of these elements, approximately 4,160 grams of gold were extracted per month, equivalent to a commercial cost close to 1560 million pesos.
Thanks to this operation, it was possible to prevent environmental damage in more than 4 hectares of tropical forest, capable of generating about 1,000 tons of oxygen. The illicit activity would have caused the deforestation of more than 5,000 trees and the contamination of water sources, it is estimated that the process of recovery of the damaged ecosystems would exceed 40 years.
Through this operation, significant damage was possible to the finances of the so called Pacificadores de Samaná Substructure, belonging to the organized armed group (GAO) Clan del Golfo, a structure that not only threatens the inhabitants, but in the same way generates serious impacts on the environment.
Source: Press – National Army
