Since last week, the Public Ministry, through the Special Prosecutor’s Office Against Organized Crime, has carried out numerous home searches in communities in the department of Colón, in the north of the country, to capture drug traffickers wanted for extradition by the United States.

Armed Forces spokesman Mario Rivera reported that the operations against organized crime structures, allegedly led by Juan Carlos Montes and the Montoya Natarén brothers, who have pending extradition requests, are focused on the municipality of Tocoa. So far, no arrests have been reported, but raids in the region continue to determine the whereabouts of those with arrest warrants and to seize weapons and drugs, he said.

Rivera recalled the seizure last Friday of a large arsenal of weapons and ammunition camouflaged inside a plastic barrel buried in one of the properties searched.

The seizures consisted of six assault rifles, two pistols, ammunition of different calibers for prohibited and commercial use, four vehicles, two motorcycles and security cameras.

After reaffirming its commitment to the fight against organized crime, the Public Ministry said that the operations seek not only the arrest of criminals for their extradition, but also the dismantling of their financial and operational structures.

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