Fiscal and Customs Police (Polfa) of Colombia seized 10 tons of copper "have illegally entered" from the neighboring Venezuelan town of San Antonio del Tachira, reported Saturday that institution.
The shipment, detected in a joint operation with the Colombian army, was found inside a truck during a routine check in a rural area of the municipality of Villa del Rosario, bordering San Antonio, police said in a statement.
The car was driven by a 34 year old Venezuelan whose identity was not disclosed and, according to the Colombian authorities, "it did not provide adequate documentation proving" the legality of carrying copper.
After inspecting the vehicle the police found that a total of 10,150 kilos of copper "have been entered illegally into Colombia in the form of open smuggling" were inside, the report added.
The seized material was made available to the Directorate of National Taxes and Customs (DIAN), while the driver was detained for lack of documentation authorizing him to enter Colombia load.