Military forces seize six dredges and deal a serious blow against illegal mining in Antioquia

In recent hours, the Colombian Navy, in joint operations with the National Army and in coordination with the Technical Investigation Corps (CTI) of the Attorney General's Office, managed to seize six dredges on the Cauca River in the department of Antioquia.

The operation was carried out in the municipality of Caucasia, on the Cauca River, where 12 individuals were captured in flagrante, who were seized six diver-type suction dredges, which were used for illegal mining in this area of the department.

The subjects, who did not present the legal documentation of the dredges, nor the permits to carry out mining, were transferred to the CTI facilities in the municipality of Caucasia, for the prosecution of the crime of illegal exploitation of mining deposits and other minerals, in accordance with the provisions of the article No. 388 of the Colombian penal code.

On March 28, also within the framework of the Artemis plan, 12 dredges that were used in illegal mining activities were removed and two Brazilian citizens were captured in a joint operation of the National Navy, the Army and the Police, and in coordination with the Attorney General's Office, the Ministry of Environment and National Parks in the border area with Brazil.

The operation took place in Puerto Franco, in the Puré National Park, where Defense Minister Diego Molano indicated that the machinery and detainees were engaged in illegal gold mining, “in a sector owned by Colombians and the heritage of this country.”

In addition, the official recalled that last year it had been possible to determine, in a Security Council, that “there was a threat against this Puree Natural Park by the exploitation of illegal mining in Colombia with dredges that have been climbing from Brazil along the river and threatening pollution of this tributary.”

It is worth remembering that on March 12, the Superintendency of Transport, after carrying out inspection visits to the area and receiving information, showed that there are situations on the National Route of Yarumal that threaten the preservation of infrastructure and that affect road safety for users, such as the deterioration of the adjacent slope due to illegal mining, absence of signage, and on-track parking of vehicles used for the transfer of irregularly extracted material, among others.

The Superintendent of Transport, Wilmer Arley Salazar Arias, said at the time that “in this case it is evident how illegal mining threatens the conservation of transport infrastructure, the safety of the transport operation and the integrity of users, considering that this activity is being carried out in the slope of high ground adjacent to the road, which also causes environmental damage”.

This is the first time that such emergency measures have been ordered due to a case like this, since mining near the roads causes imminent danger and affects the continuity of the provision of the transport service, impacting flora and fauna, as well as road infrastructure due to the fall of material, which would generate possible closures that would affect the economy of the region and the country.

The superintendent also noted that, “it is important to highlight that a collapse could occur in this area with the consequent closure of this important route, with serious effects on the mobilization of food products, creating a worrying economic impact.”

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