Latest news with #illegalmining
The Independent
5 days ago
- The Independent
Peru seizes record 4-ton mercury shipment in fight against illegal gold mining
Peruvian customs officials have seized a record-breaking shipment of illegal mercury, exposing a cross-border smuggling network that is fueling one of the Amazon's most destructive criminal economies: illicit gold mining. The 4-ton haul — the largest mercury seizure ever made in an Amazon country and one of the world's largest — was discovered in June at the port of Callao, hidden inside gravel-filled bags on a cargo ship bound for Bolivia. Though labeled as crushed stone, the shipment was flagged by customs agents based on international intelligence sharing. 'This crushed stone was laced with mercury,' said Jorge Gallo Alvarado, head of customs enforcement at SUNAT, Peru's tax and customs agency. 'It's a restricted substance because it's used in illegal alluvial mining.' The container, which originated in Mexico, was singled out for inspection by SUNAT's risk analysis team. U.S. specialists later confirmed the presence of mercury embedded in the gravel — a tactic increasingly used to avoid detection at ports. The seized goods are valued at roughly $500,000, SUNAT said. High-value illicit trade Authorities say the bust marks a turning point in efforts to dismantle the supply chains behind the Amazon's illicit gold trade. Mercury, a powerful neurotoxin banned or tightly restricted in many countries, remains essential to the process used by illegal miners across the rainforest to extract gold from river sediment. The method is simple but dangerous: miners mix mercury with gold particles to form an amalgam, then burn it off, releasing toxic vapor into the air. The leftover mercury often flows into rivers, where it transforms into methylmercury — its most dangerous form — and builds up in fish and aquatic life. 'This is a very important seizure,' said Luis Fernandez, a research professor and mercury expert at Wake Forest University in North Carolina, who traveled to Lima to assess the find. 'We don't often see mercury seizures at this scale, especially not in transit through formal customs points," he said. Fernandez estimated the mercury could have been used to produce roughly 1,600 kilograms (3,527 pounds) of gold — worth more than $172 million at current prices. 'This isn't subsistence mining,' he said. 'It's organized, high-value illicit trade with serious environmental and public health consequences.' A 'gold-mercury-drug trifecta' In Peru's Madre de Dios region, an epicenter of illegal mining, mercury contamination has been detected in drinking water, fish and even breast milk. Long-term exposure to methylmercury can cause irreversible damage to the brain and nervous system, particularly in children and pregnant women. Indigenous and riverine communities that rely on fish for food are especially vulnerable. Peruvian authorities say much of the mercury entering the country is smuggled from Mexico, where it's mined in central states such as Querétaro. Prices have surged in recent years due to booming global demand for gold, reaching as high as $330 per kilogram of mercury — and more than $3,500 per ounce of gold — earlier this year. Some of the mercury seized in June is believed to have originated in small, artisanal mines inside a UNESCO ‑protected biosphere reserve. While the Environmental Investigation Agency, a nonprofit watchdog that investigates environmental crime, has documented that at least 30 tons of mercury have been trafficked annually from Mexico to countries like Peru and Colombia by a single criminal network, the real volume is likely higher. Soaring gold prices and a 400% markup on mercury in the Amazon compared to Mexico have made smuggling increasingly lucrative. Seizures and monitoring suggest flows rose to an estimated 56 tons in 2024, with further increases expected this year. Colombia remains one of the highest per capita emitters of mercury worldwide, with total annual releases reaching up to 150 tons, much of it tied to illegal gold mining. EIA's latest investigation, released in tandem with Peru's announcement, describes a growing 'gold-mercury-drug trifecta' linking illegal mining to transnational crime and environmental degradation. The group's investigators documented how organized criminal groups — including Mexico's Jalisco New Generation Cartel — are now involved in mercury mining and trafficking. 'Until mercury mines are no longer in operation, traffickers will leave no stone unturned to smuggle the metal,' the report states. Growing calls to close mercury mines Traffickers often disguise mercury shipments with false paperwork and front companies, allowing them to slip through customs. Once across the border, the metal is sold to illegal mining camps — often in protected forests or Indigenous territories — where it becomes almost impossible to trace. In Colombia, security sources say armed groups such as the National Liberation Army and the Gulf Clan play a central role in the mercury-for-gold trade. Similar dynamics have been reported in Brazil and Bolivia, where enforcement is weak and black-market demand is high. Although Peru ratified the Minamata Convention on Mercury in 2013, enforcement has struggled to keep up with the pace and adaptability of trafficking networks. 'These networks are agile,' Fernandez said. 'As gold prices rise, they adapt quickly. Customs authorities need tools, training, and resources to keep pace.' Adam Dolezal, extractive industries campaigner at EIA, said the seizure shows what is possible when customs systems are properly resourced and coordinated — but warned that enforcement alone won't stop the trade. 'Unless mercury production is shut down at the source, this toxic trade will continue,' Dolezal said. Calls are growing to close remaining mercury mines in Mexico and reform global controls on the metal. The issue is expected to take center stage at the upcoming Conference of the Parties to the Minamata Convention later this year, where advocates hope to eliminate legal loopholes that allow mercury to be traded for small-scale mining. ____ ____ The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
Washington Post
5 days ago
- Washington Post
Peru seizes record 4-ton mercury shipment in fight against illegal gold mining
BOGOTA, Colombia — Peruvian customs officials have seized a record-breaking shipment of illegal mercury , exposing a cross-border smuggling network that is fueling one of the Amazon's most destructive criminal economies: illicit gold mining. The 4-ton haul — the largest mercury seizure ever made in an Amazon country and one of the world's largest — was discovered in June at the port of Callao, hidden inside gravel-filled bags on a cargo ship bound for Bolivia. Though labeled as crushed stone, the shipment was flagged by customs agents based on international intelligence sharing.
BBC News
17-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
3 illegal miners die, more dan 30 odas trap inside mine pit wey collapse for Ghana
Local authorities for southern Ghana don resume efforts to rescue ova 30 illegal miners wia trap inside one mine pit wey collapse on Wednesday, 16 July. Dem confam say three pipo don die, anoda pesin dey battle for im life for hospital, afta di pit wey bin dey Akyem Wenchi for di Denkyembour district for di Eastern Region, bin collapse. E neva dey clear wetin cause di collapse. Security pipo bin run comot di area wen angry residents storm di place wen dem come for rescue operations. Oga wey be district chief executive and di chair for di security council, Umar Ahmed tok say "di atmosphere don become dangerous for di rescue team wey bin dey for ground." "Na so we run comot di place sake of e don become dangerous and unsafe for us when di youth storm di scene wey dem bin dey chant." Umar Ahmed tok local media say im become afraid wey im gatz to comot di place. "Dem bin scata my car; di residents bin vex well well, wey dem neva listen to di police for di scene serf, na so we run away," Umar Ahmed tok. Police for Akwatia bin dey struggle to deal wit illegal mining for dat region since. "Dat area na galamsey prone area we bin try several times to clear di illegal miners for dia but we neva succeed." Oga for di district security council say "we go return to di site if we get military reinforcement to kontinu di search." "From wetin we sabi, ova 30 pipo fit dey trapped inside di pit wey water don also full di pit, if we fit go back quick wit di military, e go beta," Umar Ahmed bin explain. Authorities bin tok say sake of water don full di mining pit, di rescue effort dey affected for Wednesday evening. Dis incident bin dey come one day afta di Ghana President John Mahama bin tok say illegal mining (galamsey) don become national emergency, wey demand quick action. For many part of di kontri, illegal mining bin dey happun, wia di miners don scata waterbodies and forests. Sabi pipo dey put pressure for govment to declare state of emergency for places wia waterbodies don spoil and forest reserves don scata. Meanwhile di kontris Attorney General bin write to di economic and organized crime office (EOCO) say make dem investigate two executives of di govment party binational democratic congress (NDC), wey dey allegedly involved for illegal mining. Di attorney general also bin ask EOCO say make dem expand di investigation to cover di period bifor 2024 when former environment minister professor Kwabena Frimpong Boateng bin find inside one report say plenti ogbonge politicians and govment officials dey allegedly involved for illegal mining under di ex president Nana Akufo-Addo.
Washington Post
16-07-2025
- Washington Post
Indigenous Wampis are ambushed in Peru after government backs out of anti-mining joint patrol
BOGOTA, Colombia — An attack by armed assailants on a patrol of a mission by the Indigenous Wampis guards last week in the Peruvian Amazon has again brought into focus the issue of illegal gold mining in the ancestral territory . The 60-member mission was ambushed and shot at as they were patrolling near the Wampis community of Fortaleza on Saturday, just days after the Peruvian government's sudden withdrawal from a planned joint enforcement operation to confront the illegal mining.
Washington Post
10-07-2025
- Washington Post
Over 90 arrests made in global crackdown on environmental crime in the Amazon Basin
BOGOTA, Colombia — Assets worth over $64 million were seized and 94 people arrested as part of a multinational law enforcement operation targeting environmental crime in the Amazon Basin . The crackdown, coordinated by the United Arab Emirates , has struck a major blow to transnational environmental crime networks, officials said. The campaign, which ran from June 23 to July 6, mobilized more than 1,500 officers from Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. Authorities conducted over 350 coordinated raids targeting illegal mining , wildlife trafficking, logging and fuel smuggling across some of the Amazon's most remote and ecologically sensitive regions. Dubbed Operation Green Shield, the crackdown was coordinated by the UAE's Ministry of Interior through the International Initiative of Law Enforcement for Climate (I2LEC), a platform launched in 2023 to support climate-related policing. A central command center was established in Colombia's capital, Bogota, with real-time data sharing, officials said. 'Environmental crime displaces communities, fuels violence against women and children, and erodes cultural heritage. These are not just crimes against nature — they are crimes against people,' Lt. Col. Dana Humaid, Director-General of the International Affairs Bureau at the UAE Ministry of Interior and Coordinator of I2LEC, told The Associated Press in a call. Humaid said countries worked closely to set shared priorities, ensuring the operation aligned with both national objectives and broader international goals. ¨That's what made it different — it wasn't top-down, it was a joint design and execution,' she said. Among the seizures were more than 310 tons of raw minerals, 3,800 cubic meters of timber , 39,000 gallons of smuggled fuel, and 530 pieces of equipment, including trucks and bulldozers. Authorities also recovered more than 2,100 live animals and 6,350 dead specimens — including birds, reptiles, and mammals — that were being trafficked through illegal wildlife networks. Raids and arrests took place simultaneously across a wide stretch of the Amazon, including Sarare Indigenous Land in Brazil's Mato Grosso state, home to the Nambikwara people, and El Cenepa Province in Peru's Amazonas region, where the Kumpanam Indigenous community resides, authorities said. In Brazil, authorities also deployed teams in Amapa state . In Colombia, operations were carried out in at least 22 departments, including Putumayo, Guaviare, Choco, Antioquia and Vichada. In Ecuador, law enforcement activity spanned dozens of locations from Carchi Province, home to the Awa Indigenous people, to Loja, Zamora, Santo Domingo and other provinces. One of the largest wildlife rescues occurred in Peru, where police recovered 1,400 live animals and dismantled a group known as Los Depredadores del Oriente, accused of trafficking endangered species. In Colombia, authorities said they disrupted three criminal groups and took down a cell allegedly linked to the Clan del Golfo, a powerful organized crime syndicate. Humaid said the operation demonstrated how international cooperation can be used to confront environmental crime and that in previous operations, like in the Congo Basin, it was a heritage issue. ¨In the Amazon, we're seeing the same thing — these crimes directly impact Indigenous communities, their land, their livelihoods, and their identity.¨ The use of satellite-based geolocation tools allowed teams to coordinate across borders and monitor operations in real time, enabling what officials called one of the most synchronized environmental enforcement actions in the region to date. Colombian authorities described the operation as part of a broader national and international strategy. 'We achieved real progress against illegal mining, fuel theft, and wildlife trafficking,' said Col. Jorge Andres Bernal Granada, director of environmental protection at Colombia's National Police. Ecuador's Deputy Police Commander Fausto Iñiguez Sotomayor called the country's first participation in an I2LEC-led operation a 'critical step,' while Gen. Manuel Elías Lozada Morales of Peru said the campaign proved that countries 'can effectively protect one of the most important ecosystems on the planet.' Renato Madsen Arruda, Brazil's federal coordinator for Amazon and environmental protection, said the work disrupted illegal gold mining operations in hard-to-reach areas. Officials said further arrests and seizures are likely as follow-up investigations continue. — Follow Steven Grattan on Instagram: @ — The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at .
