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Colombia police officers seize 7.3 million gallons of crude in raids on prohibited refineries

Colombian authorities have took more than seven million gallons of petroleum in raids on prohibited refineries, in an operation targeting production of bootleg fuel in Norte de Santander province, the police stated in a declaration on Monday.

The fuel is refined from crude oil stolen from pipelines by criminal gangs and is a crucial active ingredient in drug production. It can also be blended with gas or diesel and utilized to run equipment at prohibited mining operations, police say.

The nationwide authorities are committed to safeguarding nature, understanding it's an indispensable resource for society, and the battle versus organized crime, Colonel William Castano, director of Colombia's rural Carabineros police force, stated in the declaration.

The operation happened in Tibu, a location in Norte de Santander near Colombia's border with Venezuela.

Cops also took control of 13 swimming pools used for storing hydrocarbons; seized five makeshift refineries, 17 pieces of refining devices and 4,250 gallons of refined hydrocarbons, the declaration added.

The production of the bootleg fuel - known as pategrillo, or cricket's foot, due to its greenish hue - is a. major issue in Colombia, where thousands of barrels of oil are. stolen each day.

checked out unlawful refineries

in Colombia's Pacific area in 2022. At the time, Castano. said such refineries infect approximately 3 square. kilometers of the surrounding environment, citing an authorities. estimate.

was unable to identify on what that estimate. was based.

(source: Reuters)