Colombian authorities arrest 17 suspects in Meta deforestation network

Colombian police, environmental units and the Fiscalía General coordinated operations in Meta that led to the capture of 14 suspects in one sweep and 17 suspects in a later action, all accused of running a criminal network that illegally occupied more than 165,000 hectares of public land and deforested about 52,000 hectares of Amazonian forest. The arrests included former Mapiripán mayor Jorge Iván Duque Lenis.

Investigators say the group used front companies, false documentation and hired armed personnel to clear forest, build roughly 68 km of illegal roads and convert cleared areas to extensive cattle grazing, African palm plantations and other agro‑industrial projects. Seized evidence comprised mobile phones, computers, hard drives, documents and a firearm. The operation spanned the departments of Meta, Casanare, Cundinamarca and Bolívar and is part of the national plan to contain deforestation in the Colombian Amazon.