The arrested individual was found with 12 cubic meters of Saladillo-type wood, which was allegedly going to be illegally traded in the region and a chainsaw and a container with 20 liters of gasoline.
In the course of military search and control operations carried out by soldiers of the National Army in conjunction with the National Navy and the Police, an individual was arrested in flagrante delicto who was illegally cutting down trees in a rural area of the municipality of Melua, in the municipality of Puerto López, Meta.
This result was carried out within the framework of the Bicentenary Plan Heroes de la Libertad and Operation Artemisa, focused on environmental sustainability, preservation of water, biodiversity and natural resources.
The arrested individual was given to the Attorney General's Office for the crime of illegal exploitation of natural resources. The material was handed over to the authorities.
It should be noted that the illegal use of natural resources in the country is criminalized in article 328 of the Criminal Code in Colombia. In the same way, the legal timber trade in the country must be carried out with specific and technical conditions such as planting trees for production, caring for arable soil, reforestation of forests, and the felling of trees when they are in decay, among others.
This year, the National Army has found in the department of Meta 145 cubic meters of wood of different types. In addition, to counter these events, the environmental soldiers in the Seventh Brigade, through coordinated work with environmental institutions and the community, have planted nearly 200,000 trees to contribute to environmental sustainability in different sectors of this department.
The troops of the National Army will continue to carry out decisive operations to attack environmental crimes in this region of the country.
Source: Press-National Army
