Within the framework of the Ayacucho Plus Campaign Plan, troops of the 13th Light Infantry Battalion General Custodio García Rovira, of the Thirtieth Brigade, in a coordinated work with the National Police, arrested eleven people for the alleged crime of illicit exploitation of mining deposits and other elements.
The events were reported in the village of Hoja Ancha, a rural area of the municipality of Pamplonita, department of Norte de Santander, where those arrested were caught illegally extracting mineral coal in two mines that operated without the environmental and mining permits required by law.
During the operation, the authorities seized tools and various items used for illicit exploitation, including a significant amount of native wood used as support for mine tunnels and mineral coal that was already ready for commercialization.
Those arrested, along with the confiscated items, were put into custody of the Attorney General's Office to carry out the respective judicial process.
Illicit mining is not only a criminal activity that affects the country's natural heritage, but in the same way generates serious environmental impacts, such as soil degradation, deforestation, alteration of water sources and loss of biodiversity. Recovering a single hectare affected by this type of exploitation may require millionaire investments and the ecological restoration processes may last for decades, and, in some cases, it doesn’t completely restore to the original conditions of the ecosystem.
Through this result, Colombian National Army, in coordination with the National Police, continues to carry out operations to protect natural resources, combat illicit activities and contribute to the preservation of the environment.
Source: Press – National Army
