Colombian police seize explosives, weapons from rebel group

Colombian National Police reported it seized an arsenal of weapons, including guns, explosives and a machine gun, belonging to rebels from the now-disbanded FARC group.

Though the Estado Mayor Central dissidents had rejected the 2016 peace deal signed by the FARC, they agreed to a recent ceasefire with the government of leftist President Gustavo Petro, who has promised to make peace or even surrender deals with Colombia's armed groups.

An arsenal of 33 guns, an M-60 machine gun, grenades, more than 30,000 rounds and uniforms were transported by two cars in Narino province, in southwestern Colombia.

#Colombia This Sunday, 15th of January, the #Nariño traffic police intercepted an arms delivery when they searched 2 trucks on the Ruta 25 highway near the area called vereda Viento Libre. 🧵(1/3)
(Footage Courtesy Of:@CostaNoticiasTV) pic.twitter.com/WTuOwqaEyp

— Obscuro (@LatamObscuro) January 16, 2023

“The confiscated arsenal constitutes one of the most important blows in recent years," national police director General Henry Armando Sanabria told journalists.

“With this, we avoid the strengthening of an armed group,” Sanabria said.

The guns were manufactured in the United States, Israel and Russia, and had already been used prior. It cannot be established whether they were bought on the black market or stolen from the country’s armed forces, Sanabria said.

The government shall now assess if the incident will mean a breach to the recently agreed ceasefire by the rebels, he added.

Drug cartels in Mexico appear to be shipping foreign-made weapons to Colombia to purchase cocaine, Colombian law enforcement say, fueling the battle for control of the country's drug trade https://t.co/tHn35knkE2 pic.twitter.com/HcQb3kZyws

— Reuters (@Reuters) April 13, 2022

Just in 2022, Colombia’s police seized 15,572 weapons. A Reuters investigation suggests that Mexico may have supplied Colombia's rebels with heavy arms in exchange for drug shipments.