At noon this Friday, April 26, the Military Forces reported the discovery of an illegal deposit of explosives in a rural area of Piamonte, south of the department of Cauca on the border with the department of Putumayo.
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EL TIEMPO learned for the first time that there were 197 devices that were conditioned and prepared to be launched from the air through the use of drones.
The discovery was made by troops from the Army’s 27th Brigade, 25th Infantry Battalion, in conjunction with the Colombian Navy and with the support of the Police and the CTI of the Prosecutor’s Office.
The explosives were found in an underground warehouse.
Photo:Courtesy
They found low-cost drones, which would have autonomy to fly over distances of between 10 and 15 kilometers and could be lifted with loads weighing between 3 and 4 kilos, enough to carry 2 or 3 items to be thrown.
According to the authorities, these elements have an internal system that is initiated by impact. ““The devices when hitting a surface are activated and detonated.”
Anti-explosive technicians who carried out the verification determined that each device had pentolite (high-power explosives), a multiplier, a detonating cord of 10 grams per linear meter, a carrying handle to be able to attach each device to the drone, as well as pellets and shrapnel to increase their destructive power. In the stabilizer tail, the criminals would have adapted the percussion activation system“.
The artifacts found.
Photo:Courtesy
During the procedure, no arrests were made, but an extensive security device was deployed in the area to locate and identify the members of that criminal group who would be in charge of that illegal deposit.
Colonel José Ángel Albino Álvarez, commander (e) Brigade 27 of the National Army, He pointed out that this important operational result occurs after security tasks deployed by the Military Forces in this area, with the objective of counteracting the criminal intentions of organized armed groups.
“They would have obtained advice from explosives experts from Ecuador and Venezuela, who carried out several tests using drones and heavy elements to, initially, know which unmanned aircraft were indicated and what maximum weight they would support,” said a source.
The intentions of the ‘Border Commandos’ focus mainly on police stations, military bases, mobile patrols of the Public Force, checkpoints or checkpoints, among others. They would even be thinking of using them on commercial establishments, machinery or works of State contractors who do not agree to pay extortionate fees.
For now, it is being evaluated whether they also intend to attack power towers, oil pipelines, oil wells, roads and bridges.
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