The ELN has denied responsibility for the killing of five civilians in the Colombian department of Chocó. The latest violence shows the zone's valuable strategic position and highly lucrative criminal economies…
Peru's government is targeting the illegal gold trade by declaring illegal mining an organized crime activity while launching a new formalization program for miners, in a carrot and stick strategy…
Latin America saw a boom in illegal mining in 2016, as organized crime recognized the potential of dirty gold.
Panama's forest areas are seeing a growth in illegal mining, raising the question of which criminal organizations are behind these activities.
A high-ranking Peruvian police officer recently linked rising violence in Madre de Dios to the regions illegal gold mining industry, highlighting the various criminal activities fueled by illicit gold revenues…
A prominent Mexican activist turned government official recently called attention to the ties between organized crime and the nation's mining industry, sounding an alarm that has grown increasingly loud in…
The vast majority of gold in Colombia's mines is extracted illegally, according to one expert, underscoring the importance of this illegal economy as the country prepares for a new chapter…
An investigation in Ecuador has revealed how the country has become a major transit hub for illegal Peruvian gold exported to the United States, an evolution directly linked to Peru's…
A multi-year investigation has revealed that up to 70 percent of mining in Colombia is illegal, a statistic that brings home the importance of tackling this criminal industry as part…
The findings of a recent report highlight the disastrous environmental impacts of unregulated gold mining in Colombia and its geographical correlation with coca cultivation, two criminal economies the country must now…
A new report documents 2015 as the worst year on record for murders of land and environmental defenders. Latin American countries were among the most dangerous for activists, in part…
The arrest of a Brazilian national who is both a registered miner in Colombia and the alleged ringleader of an illegal mining structure illustrates the nebulous…