The Seventh Division of the National Army and the National Border Service (SENAFRONT), of Panama, are conducting a sustained operation on the border of the two countries against organized armed groups who want to have control of the transit of illicit income.
The National Army, in development of a bilateral operation on this border, with the support of the Colombian Air Force, the Colombian Navy, the police and Senafront, and in compliance with the recommendations of the control agencies, in 2020 has hit hard the organized armed groups, GAO, who commit crimes in the region, especially the GAO Clan del Golfo.
To date, 57 members of organized armed groups have been captured, 15 have been brought to justice, two minors of these groups have been recovered, 30 anti-personnel mines have been destroyed and 943 rounds of ammunition and 29 small firearms have been found.
In this border area, the frontal fight against drug trafficking has achieved important results, such as the destruction of 36 drug production laboratories, 3,423 gallons of coca paste in process, 3,910 kilograms of coca leaf, 26 illegal caches, 57 camps and abundant liquid and solid precursors used for this illicit activity.
The destruction of five illegal mining production units, five dredges, six engines and the finding of more than 1,000 gallons of fuel has been achieved against the illegal exploitation of mineral deposits. This operation against illicit income is part of Operation Artemisa, which seeks to fight deforestation, recover ecosystems, prosecute those who commit crimes against the environment and develop inter-institutional and environmental coordination to meet these objectives.
In the same way, on irregular migration at the border, both Colombian and Panamanian troops monitor the non-formal steps in Sapzurro, Los Girasoles, La Diabla and El Cristalino villages. These maneuvers are carried out with the support of the binational bases Guamal and Cutí.
The National Army maintains this binational effort to protect the communities of the region, especially the Indigenous people and black communities who live in the area; in the same way, it neutralizes the different transnational threats on the border with Panama.
Source: National Army News Agency
