Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro claimed on Tuesday that arms traffickers stole huge numbers of weapons, ammunition and explosives from the security forces.
In a press conference, Petro said that weapons inspections at two army bases in Tolima and La Guajira revealed that more than a million pieces of ammunition were missing.
Among the missing pieces are 37 Israeli anti-tank missiles that are 2.65 meters (8’8.33) long, according to the president.
Tens of thousands of grenades and anti-tank charges, as well as millions of bullets that were on the army inventory lists were also missing and presumably stolen.
Petro blamed arms trafficking rings that operate in the security forces for the alleged robberies of military equipment.
For a long time there have been networks made up of people from the security forces, military and civilians, dedicated to a massive arms trade, using the legal weapons of the State.
President Gustavo Petro
Military intelligence reports that were leaked to the media over the past few years revealed the existence of multiple alleged arms trafficking rings operating in Tolima’s Tolemaida base and the 4th Division in Medellin.
Explosives that had been stolen from the Tolemaida base were used to blow up the highway between Bogota and the city of Medellin earlier this year, according to the president.
A former army major who was arrested with an illegal shipment of explosives, grenades and bullets escaped custody last week.
Senior member of Colombia’s military mafia escapes from police station
The president said that the recent inventory checks were part of a government offensive to combat corruption in the military.
