Inside, in addition to dead animals and supplies, more than 605 kilograms of cocaine valued at over 3.323 billion pesos were found, along with a complex structure featuring sophisticated systems that prevented its detection from the ground and the air.
During military operations aimed at undermining the illicit economies of organized armed groups, troops from the 14th Captain Antonio Ricaurte Light Infantry Battalion 14 Captain Antonio Ricaurte, in coordination with the National Police’s Anti-Narcotics Directorate, located, raided, and destroyed a clandestine laboratory for processing cocaine hydrochloride in the rural area of Sabana de Piñas, within the jurisdiction of the municipality of Aguachica, Cesar, which belongs to the Camilo Torres Restrepo Front of the organized armed group ELN.
Thanks to intelligence provided and investigative work, it was revealed that this illegal complex was built under the guise of an agricultural farm, using two sheds that appeared to be poultry and pig farms as a means of operational concealment, in which there were nearly 100 chickens and 25 pigs, some already dead and in a state of decomposition. Additionally, hidden compartments were identified beneath raised wooden floors, underground cavities used as hiding places, clandestine electrical networks, drainage systems, and pumping mechanisms designed to minimize traces of contamination, reduce chemical odors, and hinder detection via aerial surveillance or thermal imaging.
This illegal facility had the capacity to produce approximately one ton of cocaine hydrochloride per month, with illicit profits exceeding 5.486 billion pesos monthly. Inside, more than 605 kilograms of cocaine were found, valued at over 3.323 billion pesos, while the entire criminal infrastructure is estimated to be worth over 3.969 billion pesos.
Additionally, 2,570 gallons of liquid chemicals, including acetone, sulfuric acid, and diesel fuel, were found, 150 kilograms of solid chemicals, as well as a large quantity of equipment used for processing the alkaloid, including seven ovens, three digital scales, a hydraulic press, a “Marciano” (a homemade still machine), vacuum packers, hoppers, dryers, metal drums, and underground structures used for storing chemicals and waste.
This result represents a significant blow to the drug trafficking logistics and financial chain in the region, weakening the organized armed group’s production, storage, and hiding capabilities and preventing the distribution of more than 762,500 doses of narcotics, thereby severely impacting the finances and logistical capabilities of this network.
In this way, the National Army reaffirms its ongoing commitment to the frontal fight against drug trafficking and the criminal structures that threaten the country’s security and peace, through a joint and coordinated effort that is carried out continuously and sustainably throughout the territory, and therefore invites the community to continue providing information via the toll-free anti-terrorism hotline 107 regarding situations that allow us to anticipate the criminal activities of armed groups operating in the region.
Source:
Second Division Press.
