Colombian Navy destroys five cocaine labs in Vichada, crippling FARC‑dissident financing

The Colombian Navy, together with Army and Police units, destroyed five clandestine laboratories used to process base paste of coca in the rural area of Cumaribo, Vichada. The labs, linked to the Frente 44 “Antonio Ricaurte” of the FARC‑dissident Central Staff, had a monthly capacity of about four tonnes of cocaine base and generated over one billion Colombian pesos in illicit revenue. During the operation, more than 1,500 gallons of liquid precursors, 2,200 kg of solid chemicals and 1,125 kg of coca leaf were seized and destroyed. Colonel Andrés Varón Daza, commander of the Marine Infantry Brigade No. 5, said the strike directly hits the financial backbone of the armed group and will improve security for local communities in the Orinoquía region.