Significant progress in the reduction of illicit plantations and in most significant indicators of the crimes that most hit citizens is reported by the Defense sector during the first 100 days of the Government of President Iván Duque, in the framework of its Security policy with Legality, according to the report of the Minister of Defense, Guillermo Botero.
Sources of criminal financing
The head of the defense ministry said that one of the biggest problems, "which has been treated as a national security problem", has been the excessive growth of coca-growing areas: "the country is received with 179 thousand hectares and the concern is that we have not found the turning point and we have to lower those numbers.”
Regarding this issue, the Minister said that 19,800 hectares have been eradicated in 100 days, thanks to the growth of the Mobile Eradication Groups, which increased from 23 to 73 and are expected to reach 100 by January 2019.
As for the illegal extraction of minerals, which hits 299 municipalities in 24 departments, he highlighted that "we are working there with the confiscation of 70 excavators and 23 dredges, and the destruction of 41 of them, as well as 14 tools and elements and motor pumps that were used for this criminal activity".
Plan 'Who does it, must pay' and Plan 'Diamante'
Regarding the crimes that hit citizens’ security and that are being attacked through the Plan 'Who does it, must pay' with an urban vocation, and the Plan 'Diamante' with rural orientation, the Minister affirmed that "all crimes, except the homicide, have reductions from 16 to 36 percent. We can say that in these 100 days all the criminal activity has decreased by at least 13 percent. "
Precisely regarding the homicide, Botero said that in 573 of the more than 1,100 municipalities in Colombia, no deaths have been reported for this crime in the first 100 days, although he warned that the most important challenge is to reduce it, especially in the municipalities Caucasia, Tarazá, Ituango and Tumaco, where 256 homicides were registered, more than last year. "In those areas we have the plans 'Agamenón II' and 'Aquiles', which focus their efforts to prevent its inhabitants from being victims of this situation," he explained.
Regarding the fight against narcotics trafficking in school environments and parks, the Minister said that the contribution of citizens through Line 167 has been very important, by receiving useful denunciations to intervene 245 clandestine selling points in the 'Paseo de olla' zone, which complement the 5,800 schools and 6,034 parks intervened to counter this illegal trade.
The Minister in the same way presented the report of the Decree 1844 of 2018 and said that nearly 60 thousand fines have been given and at least 56 thousand people have had to go to the police stations, because of the dose of narcotics higher than those ruled by law.
In the case of the crimes of kidnapping and extortion, Botero said that they have been reduced by 16 to 37 percent. However, he warned that it is necessary to continue working hand in hand with the public to reduce these cases ideally to zero.
Regarding the operations in the framework of the 'Diamante' Plan, he highlighted the effects on the GAOs (organized armed groups in Spanish) Clan del Golfo, Los Pelusos and Los Puntilleros. He explained that, on account of captures, surrenders and deaths in military operations, 1,453 members of these groups no longer continue to commit crimes. These results are the complement to the hits against residual Organized Armed Groups and the ELN, with 450 losses each, and the blow to “La Oficina” with the capture of alias 'Pichi', its ringleader, so it is with no direction.
Botero in the same way highlighted the entrance of the Rapid Deployment Force No. 3, to the Catatumbo region, which involves the arrival of 5,600 men in that region of the country, which strengthen Operations Agamenon and Aquiles and Atlas for Department of Antioquia and the Department of Cauca respectively, that completes the presence of the Security forces with the Rapid Deployment Force No. 2.
When concluded, the Minister of Defense warned that "these plans were not suspended at the end of the 100 days. On the contrary, they are reinforced and we will be more demanding with the results".
Source: Ministry of Defense
