Colombia: Colombia Captures 'Coltan Czar' Linked to FARC

Nov 24, 2014 | Kyra Gurney, InSightCrime
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Authorities in Colombia have captured a key operative who facilitated the sale of coltan and uranium for the FARC and ELN guerrilla groups, in a case highlighting the role corrupt officials play in the lucrative illegal mining industry.

In a joint operation carried out by the Colombian Navy and the investigative unit of the Attorney General's Office, authorities arrested Juan Jose Rivera Suarez, known as the "czar of coltan," reported El Tiempo. According to investigators, Rivera used a legal company to export shipments of coltan and other minerals that were illegally mined in protected indigenous reserves. The minerals were sent to the United States, where the coltan was used in computer and appliance factories.