Colombia destroys cocaine labs in jungle region

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A Colombian anti-narcotics policeman stands guard after burning a cocaine lab in Calamar in Guaviare state, Colombia, August 2016.Image source, Reuters
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Colombian military say left-wing rebels and criminal gangs are both involved in the drug trade

Security forces in Colombia have carried out a huge operation to destroy 104 cocaine production laboratories in the south-eastern jungle.

Officials say the raids are part of a new strategy to target producers and traffickers rather than poor farmers who grow the coca plant.

The raids took place where Farc rebels have been operating. Their leaders have denied involvement in the drug trade.

Police said the labs could produce around 100 tons of cocaine a year.

Colombian anti-narcotics policemen take position as they wait to board a helicopter in a rural area of Calamar in Guaviare state, Colombia, August 2, 2016. REUTERSImage source, Reuters
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Colombian anti-drug police take position as they wait to board a helicopter in Guaviare state

A anti-drug helicopter flies over San Jose del Guaviare, Colombia, Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016.Image source, AP
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The operation was conducted over five days

Colombian drug squad members check a cocaine processing lab before setting it on fire. Aug 2016Image source, AFP
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A soldier checks a cocaine processing lab before it is set on fire

An anti-narcotics helicopter flies over a coca field in Calamar, Guaviare state, Colombia, Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016.Image source, AP
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The helicopters flew over coca fields in Guaviare state

Anti-narcotics police officer stands guard next to an illegal cocaine lab in Calamar, Guaviare state, Colombia, Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016Image source, AP
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Police commandoes took part in the raids

"This is a structural blow to the finances of drug-trafficking," anti-drug police director General Jose Angel Mendoza told Reuters news agency.

The groups running the cocaine trade in Colombia tax coca growers, run production laboratories and smuggle the drug out of the country in partnership with Mexican cartels.

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