Emerging Criminal Groups or BACRIM's are overrunning mercury mines in Córdoba and Antioquia, President Juan Manuel Santos announced. The mines are contaminated the environment, he added, stating that some children are deformed because of the mercury entering the water supply. The government said that the guerrilla groups, Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia - FARC) and the National Liberation Army (Ejército de Liberación Nacional - ELN), are also involved in the trade. The government's announcement coincided with raids on the area, and 35 people were arrested.
share
Was this content helpful?
We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.
DONATEWhat are your thoughts? Click here to send InSight Crime your comments.
We encourage readers to copy and distribute our work for non-commercial purposes, with attribution to InSight Crime in the byline and links to the original at both the top and bottom of the article. Check the Creative Commons website for more details of how to share our work, and please send us an email if you use an article.
Was this content helpful?
We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.
DONATELatest News
Related Content
COLOMBIA
/
10 JAN 2011
Beatriz Elena Henao became the first person extradited from Colombia to the United States on drug trafficking charges in 2011.
COLOMBIA
/
28 APR 2011
Venezuela's arrest of a Colombian national suspected of running a pro-FARC news agency in Europe raises the question…
COLOMBIA
/
23 SEP 2016
A crime wave has hit Colombia's port city of Cartagena just days before government officials and FARC rebels are scheduled…
About InSight Crime
THE ORGANIZATION
Apure Investigation Makes Headlines
22 OCT 2021
InSight Crime’s investigation into the battle for the Venezuelan border state of Apure resonated in both Colombian and Venezuelan media. A dozen outlets picked up the report, including Venezuela’s…
THE ORGANIZATION
InSight Crime Tackles Illegal Fishing
15 OCT 2021
In October, InSight Crime and American University’s Center for Latin American and Latino Studies (CLALS) began a year-long project on illegal, unreported, unregulated (IUU) fishing in…
THE ORGANIZATION
InSight Crime Featured in Handbook for Reporting on Organized Crime
8 OCT 2021
In late September, the Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN) published an excerpt of its forthcoming guide on reporting organized crime in Indonesia.
THE ORGANIZATION
Probing Organized Crime in Haiti
1 OCT 2021
InSight Crime has made it a priority to investigate organized crime in Haiti, where an impotent state is reeling after the July assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, coupled with an…
THE ORGANIZATION
Emergency First Aid in Hostile Environments
24 SEP 2021
At InSight Crime's annual treat, we ramped up hostile environment and emergency first aid training for our 40-member staff, many of whom conduct on-the-ground investigations in dangerous corners of the region.
Stay Informed with Weekly InSight
Get fresh updates on organized crime from across the region delivered to your inbox.
SUBSCRIBE