All About Illegal Mining

COLOMBIA / 23 JUN 2014

One of Colombia's largest gold export companies is under investigation for money laundering and ties to narco-paramilitaries, shining a light on the key role of legal companies in…

COLOMBIA / 5 JUN 2014

Since the death of controversial "Emerald Czar" Victor Carranza in April 2013, a series of attacks against members of Colombia's emerald industry have led to speculation that another "Green War"…

BOLIVIA / 5 JUN 2014

Authorities in Peru are implementing new fuel restrictions in an effort to hinder illegal mining operations, but such a measure may have the unintended effect of increasing fuel smuggling from…

ILLEGAL MINING / 15 MAY 2014

Security forces in Peru have launched a dawn helicopter raid on an illegal mining operation and dynamited $500,000 worth of equipment, as part of an ongoing initiative to attack the lucrative…

ILLEGAL MINING / 13 MAY 2014

The amount of money laundered through illegal gold mining in Peru has shot up nearly 50 percent in 18 months, in another indication of the rapid expansion of this criminal…

COLOMBIA / 7 MAY 2014

Peru and Colombia are set to coordinate their first ever joint operation against illegal gold mining as Peru begins an all out assault against the multi-billion dollar trade.

ILLEGAL MINING / 2 MAY 2014

Authorities in Mexico have intercepted a ship carrying almost 76,000 tons of iron ore likely linked to the Knights Templar, a load that is dwarfed by the scale of the…

COLOMBIA / 7 APR 2014

Colombia's most powerful criminal syndicate, the Urabeños, is moving in on the lucrative emerald business, looking to take control of the gem trade and the money laundering potential…

COLOMBIA / 14 MAR 2014

Police in Colombia report that FARC guerrillas and BACRIM groups are working together to mine gold in the Pacific province of Choco, further evidence of the business…

ILLEGAL MINING / 7 MAR 2014

Mexico's iron and steel industries suffered losses of $1.3 billion in 2013 due to theft and illegal mining, illustrating the growing importance of the mining industry as a source of…

GOLD / 13 FEB 2014

Authorities in Peru suspect half of all the country's gold exporters have connections to illegal gold mining, demonstrating just how entwined the legal and illegal Peruvian gold markets have become.

GOLD / 11 FEB 2014

Special security teams tasked with catching contraband gold smuggling will be placed in five airports in Peru, though the efficiency of gold laundering inside the country means the…

About InSight Crime

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime Contributes Expertise Across the Board 

22 SEP 2023

This week InSight Crime investigators Sara García and María Fernanda Ramírez led a discussion of the challenges posed by Colombian President Gustavo Petro’s “Total Peace” plan within urban contexts. The…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime Cited in New Colombia Drug Policy Plan

15 SEP 2023

InSight Crime’s work on emerging coca cultivation in Honduras, Guatemala, and Venezuela was cited in the Colombian government’s…

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InSight Crime Discusses Honduran Women's Prison Investigation

8 SEP 2023

Investigators Victoria Dittmar and María Fernanda Ramírez discussed InSight Crime’s recent investigation of a massacre in Honduras’ only women’s prison in a Twitter Spaces event on…

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Human Trafficking Investigation Published in Leading Mexican Newspaper

1 SEP 2023

Leading Mexican media outlet El Universal featured our most recent investigation, “The Geography of Human Trafficking on the US-Mexico Border,” on the front page of its August 30…

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InSight Crime's Coverage of Ecuador Leads International Debate

25 AUG 2023

This week, Jeremy McDermott, co-director of InSight Crime, was interviewed by La Sexta, a Spanish television channel, about the situation of extreme violence and insecurity in Ecuador…