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U.S Mining Distances Itself from Colombian Militants

14:31 H | Topics: Business - Colombia

Following in the footsteps of the Chiquita Corporation, an Alabama based mining company is being accused in a U.S. federal lawsuit of working with Colombian paramilitary organizations even paying to have union members killed.

A federal judge in Alabama last month allowed a civil suit to go forward against Drummond Co. Inc. for allegedly paying a hit squad to kill three union leaders in 2001 at one of its Colombia mines.
In a related move, Colombia's chief prosecutor announced a formal criminal investigation into Drummond Tuesday for alleged ties with to paramilitaries.Drummond appears to have been shaken by accusations by a former paramilitary collaborator, Rafael Garcia, a key witness in the unfolding scandal, who is in prison.
Garcia says he was present when the president of Drummond Colombia, Augusto Jimenez, handed over "a suitcase full of money" in 2001 to a representative of regional paramilitary warlord Rodrigo Tovar Pupo.

Not surprisingly, the mining company is denying the claim and is refusing to do what Chiquita did, settle.

This, in my not so humble opinion, is an excellent example of the downside of globalization and glaring example of U.S. neocolonialism at its worst.

Via / Fox News

Image Via / The Washington Post

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