Two men arrested with 600 million pesos in cash for money laundering

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reference image. Colbrenza.

On Sunday, November 28, the nation’s attorney general announced that two people had been arrested, identified as Edwin Stephen Mendes of Valencia and Andres Camilo Cardoso Fajardo. Red-carpeted with $600 million in cash at Cali (Valle del Cauca) transfer station.

According to information from the investigative authority, the men were traveling on an inter-municipal service bus covering the Bogota-Cali road, when they were discovered by units of the National Police during a background check and baggage check-in procedure.

The Prosecutor General’s Office also detailed that the money was packed Six different packages and packaged in two backpacks. When asked about the origin of the amount, the men confirmed that it came from online businesses; however, No support on the origin and destination of the cash‘, select the entity and also indicate it An amount of $600 million was seized for confiscation purposes.

A public prosecutor from the Special Directorate for Combating Money Laundering presented the two men before the Security Control Judge accused of committing a money laundering crime.

The Public Prosecutor’s Office also reported on November 24 that, through a joint effort with the Carabineros Directorate of the National Police and experts from CTI, Twenty people were arrested, who were part of a criminal network involved in money laundering of about 1.3 trillion pesos.

According to the investigative body, it turned out that the illegal structure, apparently, contacted miners with little economic capacity and who did not have the infrastructure to extract gold, who offered them marketing services.

The specialized body of the Anti-Money Laundering Directorate of the Public Prosecutor’s Office also referred to the criminal network She was going to visit the certificates of origin of the illegally obtained gold, which they submitted to the National Mining Agency (ANM) and the National Directorate of Taxes and Customs (DIAN), In this way they would have given the semblance of legitimacy to the millionaire’s exports to the Free Zone and the United States.

After the evidence of the method of action carried out by the criminal organization, it was established that through this method 8.1 tons of gold extracted in mines located in Antioquia, Chocó, Caldas, Bolivar and Cordoba, which allegedly occurred between 2015 and 2021.

Captivity actions were carried out in Quibdó (Chocó), Marmato (Caldas), Dosquebradas (Risaralda) and in Bello, San Roque, La Estrella, Caucacia, Rionegro, Yarumal and Medellín (Antioquia).

During the proceedings, 320 million pesos in cash was seized and the prosecutor’s office charged the accused, according to their individual responsibilities, with the crimes of money laundering, illicit enrichment of individuals and conspiracy to commit a crime.

It should be noted that in another measure taken by the authorities last May, 38 gold bars, equivalent to 12 kilograms, for two people wishing to transport the thing in hand luggage, from Inírida Airport, in the province of Guainia, to Bogotá, the capital of Colombia.

According to the director who specializes in the extinction of the domain right, Patricia Saavedra Yepes, “In the verifications, it was found that the travelers did not have certificates of origin or documents supporting the possession of gold“He also pointed out that the Prosecutor’s Office”It has indications of the association of gold bullion with the money laundering model“.

After seizing 38 gold bars worth 2,400 million pesos, the Specialized Directorate for the Extermination of Property Rights of the Public Prosecutor’s Office imposed precautionary measures for the purpose of extermination of property.

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