A criminal network allegedly involved in trafficking large amounts of gold and jewelry was discovered. Eight (8) people were arrested, including a Colombian Migration officer. During the operation ‘Splendor’ properties worth 60 billion COP were also seized.
The Office of the Attorney General revealed an illegal and systematic model used to traffic gold, in which human couriers traveled between Colombia and Panama with the precious metal concealed in accessories with the complicity of airport officers.
In three years of investigations, it was established that a criminal organization composed of jewellers and market-savvy people would have moved more than 19 billion pesos in gold ingots from the airports of Bogotá, Barranquilla, Palmira and Bucaramanga to the city of Colón in Panamá.
Ingots were only declared upon arrival to Panama and exclusively sold to companies Gold América and Alpha Trading which paid with Italian gold jewelry. The merchandise received in return was transported to Colombia by human couriers and subsequently delivered to the alleged leaders of the organization who were in charge of distributing the merchandise to jewelleries and businessmen in Bogotá, Bucaramanga, Barranquilla, Medellin, Cali and other cities.