The mining enclave operated 16 dredges and five excavators, which were used for exploiting mineral deposits illegally and were later rendered useless, the Colombian Armed Forces announced in a press release.

The statement added that this operational result significantly affects the criminal finances of the organized armed groups and allows for halting the damage to water sources and the deterioration of the ecosystem in the Amazon region.

The text also detailed that the troops arrived, by river and air, at the place bordering the two nations in the Amazon region, on the Puré River, where the yellow machinery that allowed the illegal exploitation of mining deposits of about six kilograms of gold per month was located.

“Colombian and Brazilian authorities are investigating to what group or transnational gang this machinery would belong, as at the time of the judicial diligence, the people in charge of operating this illegal mining facility fled the sector. Troops were deployed to search for them,” the military forces added.

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