Nearly 500 improvised antipersonnel mines, 200 kilograms of ANFO, grenades, ammunition of various calibers, detonators, and quartermaster and communications equipment were found in an illegal cache attributed to the Jhon Linares Structure in a rural area of San José del Guaviare.
In a joint, coordinated, and interagency operation carried out at the Puerto Cachicamo Inspection Station, troops from the National Army’s 1st Direct Action and Reconnaissance Battalion located an illegal cache belonging to the Jhon Linares Structure, part of the residual organized armed group known as the Jorge Suárez Briceño Bloc. This success was made possible by intelligence provided by the Amazon Naval Force and the Colombian Navy’s 32nd Riverine Marine Infantry Battalion, with support from the Colombian Aerospace Force and in coordination with the National Police for urgent actions and legal proceedings.
During the operation, approximately 500 improvised antipersonnel mines, 200 kilograms of ANFO, 17 60-millimeter homemade grenades, 20 40-millimeter grenades, a cylinder-type improvised explosive device, 82 electric detonators, 4 initiation systems, and 2,500 meters of detonating cord of various gauges, 500 meters of safety fuse, and gunpowder. Additionally, 2,521 live rounds of various calibers and 2 rifle magazines were found.
Troops also recovered camouflage clothing, ammunition pouches, harnesses, multipurpose vests, armbands bearing symbols of the defunct FARC-EP, a communications radio, indoctrination pamphlets, and propaganda banners. The discovery of this war material directly undermines this criminal group’s armed, explosive, logistical, communications, and propaganda capabilities by preventing it from being used against the security forces and rural communities in Guaviare and the Yarí region, on the border between the departments of Meta and Caquetá.
According to military intelligence, this group is reportedly planning to plant explosives on bridges, rural roads, and access routes used by farmers, residents, and military units; furthermore, it is alleged to be linked to the murder of a Colombian Navy officer in 2021 and to the attack that subsequently resulted in the deaths of five soldiers during Operation Democracy in 2026. The seized material was turned over to the competent authority, while the Military Forces continue their operations with respect for human rights and in compliance with international humanitarian law.
