Satellite images show that while military operations against illegal mining in Peru's Madre de Dios region might be paying off, the same fight is not being waged in other parts…
The criminal, economic and political dynamics behind illegal gold rushes this past year in Venezuela and Ecuador were very different. But both countries illustrate the same trend: that illegal mining…
Mercury contamination caused by illegal mining in Colombia's Amazon is threatening the welfare of Indigenous communities who are now seeking legal action against the government. …
Authorities have uncovered that an eastern coastal region of Guatemala, known to be a cocaine corridor, has been used in the trafficking of jade -- a gemstone used for millennia by…
A recent Crisis Group report explores criminal dynamics in the Guyanese mining region bordering Venezuela, revealing how the chaos and violence of Venezuela’s mining arc is spilling over into the…
As Colombia produces more cocaine than ever before, the Ex-FARC mafia has all the resources it needs to rebuild.
The Los Roques Archipelago -- a group of islands off Venezuela's northern coast known for their white sand beaches and turquoise waters -- has become a staging ground for smuggling…
Venezuela’s historic meltdown is often explained as a consequence of bad governance, corruption and the collapse of the oil sector or of international sanctions. Solutions are sought in the political…
Dredgers have been found in several rivers across Peru's northern department of Loreto, confirming that illegal gold mining has been rapidly expanding into previously untapped parts of the country.
Recent raids on illegal mining operations in Timbiquí, Cauca were part of a broad crackdown on criminal economies being used by ex-FARC mafia groups, but they may only stoke anti-government…
Peru has agreed to send accused international gold smuggler Peter Ferrari to the United States to face trial -- but it's unclear when, or even whether, he will face justice. …
Peru has deployed drones to some of the country's remote areas to track illegal mining, but using the information to capture and make cases against illegal miners is a challenge.