A couple was arrested in rural Aipe, Huila, for illegal charcoal production. The inter-agency operation seized 34 bundles of charcoal and dismantled two artisanal ovens. Authorities highlight the environmental damage from this activity.
The arrest took place in the Balcones vereda, San Antonio Bajo sector, in Aipe municipality, Huila's oil capital. Units from the Batallón Especial Energético y Vial N.° 12 of the Novena Brigada, along with Police and the Corporación Autónoma Regional del Alto Magdalena (CAM), conducted the operation through tactical intelligence and inter-agency coordination.
“Mediante labores de inteligencia táctica y coordinación interinstitucional, se logró ubicar una unidad productora minera dedicada a la elaboración de carbón vegetal”, said an Army spokesperson. They captured a man and a woman allegedly linked to the illicit activity, seizing 34 bundles of charcoal and intervening two artisanal ovens with capacity for about 100 bundles.
The unit produced around 400 bundles monthly, causing deforestation, landscape transformation, and damage to air, water—especially the Magdalena River—and soil components, according to the military spokesperson. Recovery of the affected areas is estimated to take over 30 years, underscoring the scale of environmental harm.
