Police in the north of Colombia arrested 19 accused of illegal gold mining on Tuesday.
According to a press release issued by the National Police, the authorities located ten different sites in the northern Magdalena department where this illegal activity had been taking place.
Apart from the arrests, the police operation resulted in the suspension of activities at four gold mines and the seizure of various mining equipment.
According to President Juan Manuel Santos, illegal armed groups and guerrilla groups like the FARC are using illegal mining to fund their criminal and terrorist activities.