US supports Colombian military in drug fight

In the first half of 2024, the U.S. Embassy’s Office of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) delivered seven new buildings to the Colombian Army to strengthen counter-narcotics operations in the departments of Norte de Santander and Antioquia.

Two modular buildings were delivered in June to the San Jorge Military Canton in Cúcuta, Norte de Santander, valued at more than $1.3 million, the Colombian military said. The buildings will house approximately 150 military personnel and will serve as an operational planning space.

These facilities were assigned to the personnel of the 1st Brigade against Narcotrafficking, a unit of the Command against Drug Trafficking and Transnational Threats (CONAT) of the Aviation and Air Assault Division. The mission of the unit is to plan, develop and supervise offensive, defensive and stability tasks, through interdiction operations, using air, land and river techniques, as well as special operations throughout the national territory, CONAT indicated.

“This important building will make it possible to provide a meeting and transit point for special anti-narcotics units, which are spread throughout the national territory, together with the institutions in the northeastern region of the country, (and which) reduce drug trafficking in the different municipalities of the region, making it possible to increase the morale of the troops and maintain the integrity and quality of life of the soldiers,” CONAT said. Dialogue.

CONAT faces challenges such as transnational organized crime, drug trafficking, illegal exploitation of mineral deposits, extortion and illicit economies. Norte de Santander has been identified as one of 15 drug trafficking enclaves and the department is considered a major corridor for cocaine trafficking to international markets, CONAT said. “According to intelligence information and information from national and international agencies, cells of the Frente de Guerra Nororiental and the Luis Orlando Padierna subgroup of the Clan del Golfo are committing crimes in the area.”

Meanwhile, in mid-April, the INL delivered five buildings, an investment of nearly $2.5 million, to the 31st Rifles Airborne Infantry Battalion in Bajo Cauca, Antioquia Department. The buildings include living quarters, operations rooms and kitchens, which will serve more than 300 military personnel and support their efforts against transnational threats.

“This building will provide the Colombian Army with a meeting point for the different CONAT units in this area of ​​the country,” Kevin Murakami, director of INL Bogotá, told media. “(And to) deploy them in an agile and rapid manner so that they can carry out operations aimed at intercepting and destroying laboratories and production infrastructure, and also so that they can dismantle illegal mining points, which are very important bilateral security objectives.”

The aim is to facilitate military operations against drug trafficking and transnational threats, reduce operational costs and expand military presence in key areas to increase security in Colombia.

“When the young officers and non-commissioned officers from the area of ​​operations come to these facilities, they will be very impressed,” said General Omar Sepúlveda, second in command of the National Army, during the handover ceremony in Antioquia. “It will be reflected in the increase in offensive military operations that we carry out in these coca fields and illegal mining areas that we are fighting against.”

The facilities will not only facilitate counter-narcotics operations, but also reduce operational costs and expand military presence in areas critical to national security. “This work will support our capabilities by expanding military operations in the departments of Córdoba, Bolívar, Sucre and the northern department of Antioquia,” the Colombian military said.

“The U.S. government’s commitment to our country is evident in its support for consolidating our territory in the face of internal threats, and in its military support for other institutions to counter organized armed groups and other criminal phenomena.”