Colombia authorities claimed on Tuesday that they have seized more than 5 tons of marijuana from FARC guerrillas in central Colombia.
The 10,970 pounds of marijuana were reportedly confiscated by police on a rural path of Agua Lina within the municipality of Lejanias, Meta. The drugs had been in the hands of members of the 53rd Front of the FARC — country’s oldest rebel group –– and were discovered in two storage centers.
“[The drugs were destined] for internal consumption, through street-level trade and drug dealing in the city of Bogota,” stated the police, according to Colombian Radio station Radio Santa Fe.
According to newspaper El Tiempo, the investigators involved in the operation assured that the FARC’s 53rd Front is under the command of “Loco Ivan,” and that the rebel chief currently controls 4.9 hectares of marijuana cultivation.
During the operation, the police reportedly eradicated the illegal crops; however, no-one was arrested in the offensive.
El Tiempo highlights the importance of marijuana drug busts for Colombian authorities as these are not only displays of efficiency in the detection of mafia-held illegal substances, but they reveal a rise in the plantation of this particular drug and in its consumption.
According to the newspaper, police statistics reveal that last year saw 383 tonnes of marijuana seized by authorities, the highest figure since 1993.
With the addition of the recent drug bust onto this year’s toll, 2014 has already seen the confiscations of 18.3 tonnes of marijuana in less than seven weeks.
The other marijuana seizures took place in a location between the states of Risaralda and Caldas, with the discovery of another five tonnes of the drug; in Abrego, Norte de Santander State; and in Medellin, the Antioquia State capital.
Lejanias, Meta
Sources
- Incautan cinco toneladas de marihuana destinadas al microtráfico (Radio Santa Fe)
- Caen casi cinco toneladas de marihuana en el Meta (El Tiempo)