Colombia closes 56 illegal gold mines
January 18th, 2011 - 12:31 pm ICT by IANSBogota, Jan 18 (IANS/EFE) Colombian authorities over the past four months have closed 56 illegal gold mines and arrested 573 people, a police report stated.The report released Monday said that “46 illegal deposits (have been closed, and) 573 people were arrested”, but it clarified that the majority of those people have been released on bail.
It added that 86 excavators, 88 motorized pumps, 26 dump trucks and 2 dredgers have been seized, along with 17 firearms and more than 112 million pesos (about $60,000) in cash.
The gold mines that were closed are located in 18 of the country’s 32 provinces.
The report said that the most recent gold mining operations to be broken up were being carried in the southwestern province of Tolima, where two mines were closed and 15 people arrested.
On the weekend, President Juan Manuel Santos said that the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, guerrillas finance their operations by illegally mining gold and they even pay for weapons shipments with the metal, according to emails found on computers owned by former FARC military chief Jorge Briceno who was killed in a military operation Sep 22 in a jungle area near La Macarena.
–IANS/EFE
rd
- FARC's Commander Jorge Briceno A. K. A. Mono Jojoy Muerto Killed - Sep 24, 2010
- Colombian rebels say they're holding French reporter - May 02, 2012
- Colombia's FARC number 2 rebel commander "Mono Jojoy" killed - Sep 24, 2010
- Colombian Army rescues woman abducted by rebels - Jun 08, 2010
- Colombia's FARC frees 10 captives - Apr 03, 2012
- Drug lord described as `murderer of murderers' killed - Dec 30, 2010
- Six including a general killed in Brazil chopper collision - Apr 21, 2010
- Colombian troops kill rebel blamed for 84 deaths - Apr 18, 2012
- Bomb strapped to horse wounds two Colombian soldiers - Jul 12, 2011
- 2,000 land mines found in Colombia in 2011 - Sep 19, 2011
- 12 Colombian rebels killed - Jul 12, 2010
- Guerrillas use dead body in attack in Colombia - Dec 08, 2011
- 2 children die in Colombia landmine blast - Apr 20, 2011
- Colombia's FARC rules out surrender - Apr 20, 2012
- Colombia to spend $738 mn on housing programmes - Apr 30, 2012
Tags: briceno, colombian authorities, dredgers, dump trucks, excavators, farc, gold mines, gold mining, guerrillas, illegal deposits, jungle area, macarena, military chief, military operation, mining gold, police report, president juan, report said that, revolutionary armed forces of colombia, southwestern province