In Santander, a region of Colombia, corruption is a common practice in the timber industry. Timber traders will exploit the regulatory, police, and judicial systems in order to enable the illegal trafficking of wood. Government agencies, such as the Autonomous Corporation of Santander (CAS) and the Corporation for the Defense of the Bucaramanga Plateau (CDMB), which are responsible for regulating timber extraction, have become riddled with corruption . Officials within these bodies have been found to issue false permits, recycling old ones and creating fake licences to launder illegally sourced timber. Police officers, bribed by the criminal organisations, frequently allow trucks carrying illegal timber to pass through checkpoints. In addition to this, the judicial system is also compromised, with prosecutors being influenced by bribes to exploit procedural loopholes. This allows seized timber to be returned to traffickers. An example of this corrupt behaviour is the Los Ingenieros criminal network's use of intermediaries. These individuals will manage the logistics of illegal timber transport, securing false permits, and connecting loggers with buyers. Businessmen in major cities including Bogotá or Bucaramanga purchase timber through these intermediaries. This corruption has led to widespread deforestation in natural reserves such as Yarigués National Park, while key figures often evade punishment.