A specialized prosecutor charged nine people with illicit use of renewable natural resources, invasion of areas of special ecological importance, damage to natural resources and ecocide. None pleaded guilty to the charges.
The defendants were arrested during four search warrants carried out by CTI and the National Police at different points in Florencia.
The Prosecutor’s Office has evidence that shows that the defendants allegedly cut down forests from 2020 to 202, carried out burns and invaded lands owned by private individuals.
The lands would be located in the rural area of Caldas in Florencia and near the Hacha watershed, thus taking advantage of the natural resources of the place and affecting areas that have special protection. Apparently, charcoal was extracted from there to be sold, thereby causing serious damage to this forest reserve, due to the damage caused to fauna, flora and water sources.
The people allegedly involved are: Armando Martínez Leguizamón, María del Rocio Ibáñez Morales, Elías Cano Capera, Sebastián Buitrón Delgado, Duverney Rojas Calderón, Albeiro Valenzuela Soto, Miguel Ángel Salguero Martínez, Abraham Hoyos Cardona and Nidia Estella Calderón.
People linked to this investigation must appear before court while freedom
The information contained in this press release corresponds to the narration of the objective news provided by the officials in charge of carrying out criminal investigations within the Office of the Attorney General. By the time this communication is disclosed, the legal status of the people mentioned is still pending to be resolved by the competent judicial authority, always under the presumption of innocence contemplated by Article 29 of the Political Constitution and Article 7 of Law 906 of 2004.