During surveillance, interception and security operations carried out by units of the Colombian Navy, attached to the Joint Task Force Aquiles, this week seven floating dredgers were found in the department of Antioquia.
The coordinated operations with personnel of the National Army and units of the National Police on the Cauca River, made it easier for troops of the River Battalion of Navy Infantry No. 17 to detect these rudimentary ships, when they were used for exploration and exploitation activities of minerals, in sectors known as El Chorro, Monterrey, Puerto Flores, Las Corositas and Isla Amargura, in the municipalities of Nechí and Cáceres.
Along with the dredgers, 13 diesel engines and 950 grams of mercury -a substance used in illegal mining and which is danger to people's wellbeing and the marine ecosystems- were found. It should be noted that, upon noticing the presence of the authorities, the individuals, who were manipulating the dredgers, escaped through the vegetation.
With this finding, it was possible to prevent USD 8,700 from entering the criminal structures, thus damaging the finances of the criminal structures that perpetrate illegal mining in Antioquia, a crime that causes serious environmental damage due to the modification of the volume of river flows and the high level of contamination because of the indiscriminate use of mercury.
The material seized was put into custody of the Caucasia and Nechí Police Inspectorates.
Source: press - Navy of Colombia
