The National Army seizes more than 11 tons of potassium permanganate in Putumayo

Troops from the Command Against Drug Trafficking and Transnational Threats (CONAT), in coordination with the Police Anti-Narcotics Directorate, recently located a complex for the production of potassium permanganate consisting of three structures in the rural area of Campo Alegre de San Miguel, Putumayo.

At the site, troops from Anti-Narcotics Brigade No. 03 seized 11,132 kilograms of potassium permanganate, comprising 9,632 kg of finished product and 1,500 kg in production. Additionally, 481 gallons of diesel fuel and two handmade tanks used for storing acids and other chemical compounds were found.

The discovery of this infrastructure, believed to belong to the Estructura 48, Border Command residual organized armed group (GAO-r), directly disrupts the supply chain used by this criminal organization, whose illicit finances stem from drug trafficking and ties to drug cartels in Mexico, thereby limiting its capacity to process and traffic narcotics in Central America, the United States, and Europe.

According to intelligence estimates, it is calculated that from 1 kg of potassium permanganate, it is possible to purify approximately 3.4 kg of cocaine hydrochloride. In this regard, the seizure of this substance would potentially prevent the production of nearly 37.8 tons of cocaine.

Meanwhile, a historic blow was dealt to the GAO-r’s funding sources, amounting to 208 billion pesos.
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The Colombian National Army will continue to work toward ensuring peace in communities in the southwestern part of the country by conducting military operations to combat the scourge of drug trafficking, the driving force behind the illicit finances of armed groups and criminal organizations.