“This is the largest confiscation of weapons, ammunition and explosives we have carried out from illegal groups devoted mainly to the crimes of drug trafficking, extortion, kidnapping and forced displacement, and it is unprecedented in the country’s recent history,” the police said.One cocaine-processing plant was destroyed in the northwestern Colombian municipality of Sipi. Some 1.5 tonnes of cocaine were seized, allegedly belonging to Front 57 of the leftist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).In the town of Monitos, in the northern Colombian province of Cordoba, close to 1.9 tonnes of cocaine were found hidden in two places by the sea.In a separate operation, in a rural area in the north-eastern municipality of Puerto Santander on the border with Venezuela, the authorities found several hiding places with weapons.Police said the weapons belonged to Daniel ‘Don Mario’ Rendón Herrera, who is currently the most wanted drug trafficker in Colombia. According to the authorities, ‘Don Mario’ had made the weapons available to the ‘Águilas Negras’ (Black Eagles), am organization of dissident paramilitary groups that is said to have risen from the ranks of the officially demobilized AUC.Police said 293 rifles, 64,193 cartridges, 11 grenade launchers and 94 grenades were seized, as well as machine-guns, handguns and communications elements, among other material.Police commander Orlando Páez said the weapons originally belonged to former paramilitary boss Salvatore Mancuso, who was extradited to the United States this week.According to Colombian authorities, 20 of the weapons seized once belonged to the Venezuelan Armed Forces.
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