In the last 45 days, investigators of the Technical Investigative Corps CTI of the Branch Office in Cauca in a joint effort with the Police and the National Army gave a hard blow against 3 fronts in rural areas of the municipalities of Rosas, Santander de Quilichao and Bolívar (Cauca), in which 25 people were brought before justice: 9 were sent to jail and 16 will remain under house arrest. 

In accordance with the Strategic Direction and the guidelines defined by the Attorney General, Francisco Barbosa Delgado, to combat criminal finances and counteract damage to the environment and natural resources, the Branch Office in Cauca has given a hard blow in the last 45 days against criminal gangs involved in the illegal exploitation of mining deposits and other minerals, in rural areas of 3 municipalities of the department. 

 These operations that were carried out in Rosas, Santander de Quilichao and Bolívar (Cauca), allowed to prosecute 25 people; 9 of them were sent to prison and 16 were sentenced to home confinement.

 Areas that were impacted 

On August 20, CTI members assigned to the Support Structure, in conjunction with the Police and the National Army, arrested 11 people in flagrante delicto in the rural area El Diviso de Rosas (Cauca) and seized machinery and items that were allegedly used for the commission of the illegal act. According to the Office of the Attorney General, the area appeared to have instability on the ground, as a landslide already occurred in April 2019 that caused several deaths. The mine did not have a mining title or license for that purpose.  

Meanwhile, on September 15, another mine in the rural area of ​​Santander de Quilichao, north of Cauca received a hard blow.  Nine (9) people were arrested in flagrante delicto and machinery and objects for mining exploitation were seized.  

The most recent case was carried out on October 1st in Guachicono river, on the border area between Patía and Bolívar (Cauca) in which another 5 people were arrested and the machinery and items for mining exploitation were also seized. 

At the time, the Office of the Attorney General filed charges against people arrested for damage to natural resources; environmental contamination through the exploitation of mining or hydrocarbon deposits; illegal exploitation of mining deposits. 

In the last case, the Office of the Attorney General also brought charges for bribery (offering or giving); since, apparently, one of the individuals arrested offered money to the authorities in exchange for not prosecuting him. 

In three of the cases, 25 defendants were deprived of freedom by a supervisory judge.  

The Office of the Attorney General makes this information public for reasons of general interest.