Hand in hand with the Ministry of Environment, **Colombia** announced the dismantling of a **timber trafficking network** operating in the Amazon.
The head of the ministry, **Susana Muhamad**, reported that, within the framework of the National Council to Combat Deforestation and Environmental Crimes (**Conaldef**), they carried out a joint operation led by the National Police.
According to the details provided, they arrested 11 members of a criminal structure dedicated to the illicit trafficking of timber in the Amazon.
Timber trafficking network: how it operated
This network was causing a **serious environmental impact in the middle basin** of the Putumayo River, in the municipalities of Puerto LeguÃzamo and Puerto AsÃs (Putumayo) and in Tarapacá (Amazonas).
Among those arrested are six **former officials of the Regional Autonomous Corporation of Nariño** (Corponariño), including senior executives such as a deputy director, who allegedly **issued fraudulent permits** for the mobilization of timber.
These illicit actions generated profits of around **1,000 million pesos** monthly for the illegal organization.
“It is a contradiction and a profoundly serious situation that officials responsible for safeguarding the environment are involved in criminal activities that **destroy the ecosystems they should protect**,” Muhamad stated.
The detainees face charges for the crimes of **illicit exploitation of natural resources**, conspiracy to commit a crime, and misconduct in office, given their status as public officials.
This case, as mentioned, raises alarms, as it involves members of the National Environmental System (**SINA**), whose constitutional mission is to protect the country’s natural resources.
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