Colombian military destroys cartel's drug lab that shipped $696 million worth of cocaine on submarines to Central America before being transported to the U.S.
A Colombia cartel's secret jungle laboratory that produced at least $696 million in cocaine in a year was dismantled by the military during a recent operation.
According to military commander José Espitia, security forces raided the compound located off the Curay River in the Pacific coast department of Nariño on Saturday.
The cocaine lab was divided into eight sections where workers on averaged produced four tons, or 3,628kg, quarterly.
A member of Colombia's investigation team inspects cocaine seized from a cartel's lab in the Pacific coast department of Nariño on Saturday. The lab reportedly produced $696 million worth of cocaine a year which was shipped on submarines and boats to Central America before making its way to the United States
The Colombian military said workers at the lab produced at least four tons of cocaine quarterly
A solider in Nariño, Colombia, inspects equipment used by drug cartel workers to produce cocaine at a secret lab located in the jungle of the Pacific coast
The cocaine was then packaged and loaded onto submarines or speedboats and shipped off to Central America, where other organizations then ferried the drugs into Mexico and eventually the United States.
The military also discovered 2,026kg of cocaine, worth $10.8 million, that was set to be shipped out. Agents also found 904kg of cocaine paste, which is obtained when cocaine is extracted from the coca leaf.
'With the dismantling of this complex for the production of cocaine, it is estimated that more than 13 billion pesos $3.7 affected the finances of this residual organized armed group, money that includes the cost of the illegal complex and the commercialization of the drug in Central American countries and the USA,' Espitia said.
Colombian security forces display containers used for the production of cocaine
A member of Colombia's military stands near two filtration tanks that were part of a cartel's lab equipment to produce at least four tons of cocaine per quarter
Soldiers on site also found a hydropump, a vacuum, a compressor, eight digital scales, 10 microwave overs, two filtration equipments and at least 360 tags that were used to identify each of the cocaine packages.
The Colombian military said soldiers patrolling the Nariño municipality of Tumaco discovered the drug trafficking organization's cocaine production hub after they were led on a pursuit by a group of armed men who had engaged them in a shootout.
Five alleged members of the Alfonso Cano Occidental Bloc were arrested and another purported associate was shot and died while being transported to a local medical facility.
A subsequent search of the gang's hideout unearthed 85 pounds of marijuana, a cache of weapons and three boats.
Police lineup of five alleged members (pictured with backs turned to the camera) of the Alfonso Cano Occidental Bloc, a drug trafficking organization based out of Colombia