Lieutenant sent to prison for theft of 33,608 rounds from Montero barracks
An army lieutenant was sent to Cerprom with 120 days of preventive detention for the disappearance of 33,608 cartridges from the RS-2 in Montero. The boxes were filled with cement to conceal the shortfall.
Lieutenant detained 120 days for theft of military ammunition in Montero
An army lieutenant of the Bolivian Armed Forces was sent this Thursday to the Productive Readaptation Centre of Montero (Cerprom) with 120 days of preventive detention, according to El Deber. The military officer was responsible for guarding the weapons and ammunition depot of the Satinadores Regiment RS-2 'Colonel Francisco Manchego', in Montero, where 33,608 cartridges of 5.56 x 45 millimetre calibre disappeared.
The decision was taken within the framework of an investigation into alleged theft of military material. The Montero prosecutor, Carlos Candia, confirmed that the lieutenant had been in charge of guarding the depot since January, although other people would also have had access to the arsenal before and during that period.
The amount of ammunition stolen is equivalent to approximately 400 kilograms and represents an economic loss of more than Bs 800,000, according to data provided by the Public Prosecutor's Office.
The element that most alarmed investigators was the method used to conceal the disappearance. According to Candia, the boxes containing the cartridges were filled with cement to make it appear they were still full, despite the ammunition having already been removed.
This finding leads the Public Prosecutor's Office to conclude that the theft did not occur in a single moment. "We believe this has been ongoing for several months, because it is a lot of material, a lot of ammunition," Candia stated.
The Public Prosecutor's Office expressed concern about the possible destination of the cartridges, given that the 5.56 x 45 calibre is compatible with assault rifles such as the Galil, the M-16 and the AR-15. "This ammunition is a danger if it is outside, perhaps in the hands of civilians or people engaged in illicit activities," the prosecutor warned.
Candia also noted that this type of ammunition is frequently used by organisations linked to drug trafficking. "It is alarming, it is surprising because this type of ammunition is compatible with several types of weapons, several rifles that normally drug trafficking organisations handle," he stated.
As part of the investigation, other military personnel were also called as witnesses, in order to reconstruct the chain of custody and determine who had access to the depot. The investigators are seeking to establish when the theft began, how the 33,608 cartridges were removed and what the final destination of the material was.
Source: El Deber