As part of Operation Artemisa, nine people were captured while carrying out illegal mining activities in the Quiba village of the locality Ciudad Bolívar.
Those captured, seven Colombians, and two Venezuelans, will face justice for the crimes of illegal mining, environmental pollution and damages to the hamlet’s rural area.
The operation was carried out jointly by the Infantry Battalion No.38 Miguel Antonio Caro, of the Thirteenth Brigade, the Brigade Against Illegal Mining of the National Army and the special fuel group of the National Police, achieving the finding of tools such as shovels and rakes, as well as 83 sacks of coal.
“With this blow against this illegal group, the environmental impact reduction is achieved in five hectares of land that were being hit by this illegal activity, with an estimated cost of environmental recovery of 20 million pesos in materials and approximately 100 million pesos (about US$ 28,400,000) per each hectare,” said Lieutenant Colonel Harold Schmidt, commander of Infantry Battalion No.38 Miguel Antonio Caro.
The illegal mining activity in this area of the city has been carried out for several years and punctually these individuals had been captured for this crime two years ago. The Environmental Corporation of Cundinamarca in Soacha, the URI of the Molinos neighborhood and the local mayor of Ciudad Bolívar, have provided all the support to this operation due to the risk this crime generates for the environment and the community.
Source: press-Thirteenth Brigade of the National Army
