Colombian authorities arrested five more members of the security forces and three civilians who are accused of trafficking arms for neo-paramilitary drug trafficking organizations.
According to the police, its organized crime unit dismantled two arms trafficking rings with arrests in the capital Bogota, and the cities of Villavicencio, Barrancabermeja and Funza.
Among the arrested suspects are one active and one retired non-commissioned army officer, and three former police officers.
The detainees are accused of stealing arms, ammunition and explosives from army garrisons to sell them to successor groups of paramilitary organization AUC, which had strong ties to the military between its foundation in 1997 until its official demobilization in 2006.
Additionally, the suspects allegedly obtained arms through illegal arms trafficking networks abroad.
In Bogota, investigators found a small factory that assembled imported rifles, grenade launchers and machine guns.
The two rings are reportedly linked to a previously dismantled military arms trafficking ring in March 2014.
Colombia’s military has been embarrassed by corruption and human rights scandals on numerous occasions over the past decade.
