More than half a ton of cocaine hydrochloride ready for distribution was destroyed in a rural area of El Retorno. This is the fourth cocaine hydrochloride laboratory dismantled in 2026 and represents a blow of more than 4.2 billion pesos to the illicit economies of the Jhon Linares Structure, part of the residual organized armed group Jorge Suárez Briceño Bloc.
During military operations carried out as part of the Ayacucho Plus Campaign Plan, troops from the 33rd Rapid Deployment Battalion, part of the 11th Rapid Deployment Force, engaged in a firefight with suspected members of the Jhon Linares Structure in the rural area of Mirolindo, municipality of El Retorno, in the department of Guaviare.
Subsequently, during a search of the area—with judicial support from agents of the National Police’s Anti-Narcotics Directorate—a laboratory for processing cocaine hydrochloride was located and destroyed. There, 640 kilograms of the alkaloid were found, along with supplies, machinery, and equipment used for its production and packaging.
With this result, units of Rapid Deployment Force No. 11 have destroyed, so far in 2026, four laboratories for processing cocaine hydrochloride, one potassium permanganate laboratory, and 24 laboratories for processing coca base paste. During this operation, 75 kilograms of activated carbon, 100 kilograms of caustic soda, 150 kilograms of potassium permanganate, and 2,194 gallons of liquid supplies and fuels were also destroyed, along with a hydraulic press, a vacuum packer, dryers, microwave ovens, a power generator, and other items used in the production of the narcotic.
Sustained operational pressure against the illicit economies and logistical capabilities of these residual organized armed groups has significantly impacted their sources of funding.
According to military intelligence, these groups continue to seek ways to attack security forces deployed in the region, including the use of drones equipped with improvised explosive devices—actions that not only threaten soldiers but also indiscriminately endanger the lives and safety of residents in the areas where these attacks are carried out.
The military operations of the National Army’s Omega Task Force will continue on an ongoing basis in Meta, Guaviare, and Caquetá, with the aim of weakening and defeating the capabilities of the residual organized armed groups, disrupting their illicit economies, and protecting the civilian population. These actions are carried out in coordination with other state authorities, with strict respect for human rights and in compliance with international humanitarian law.
