All About Illegal Mining

COLOMBIA / 2 SEP 2019

A criminal network which used creative methods, including hiring legitimate jewelers, to help smuggle gold into Panama and launder proceeds back in Colombia has been brought down, underscoring the rising…

ECUADOR / 16 JUL 2019

Thousands of police and military have swept through the north Ecuador district of Buenos Aires in an attempt to control the illegal mining boom that has ravaged the region, but…

ILLEGAL MINING / 19 JUN 2019

Outbreaks of malaria and diphtheria in a region of Venezuela where these diseases are rare has revealed how armed groups are organizing a vast migration to illegal mines.

COCAINE / 18 JUN 2019

Authorities in Peru say they have successfully driven illegal gold mining out of the Amazon, but will other illegal economies take its place?…

COLOMBIA / 6 MAY 2019

A new investigation by Colombia's Attorney General's Office has revealed a potential stain on revenues of a major gold mining company concerning attempts to launder profits gained from illegal mining.

COLOMBIA / 10 APR 2019

A new investigation into illegal mining has revealed that Peruvian prosecutors are digging into a large Swiss refinery for buying suspect gold. The case is the latest against a multinational…

BOLIVIA / 2 APR 2019

Bands of mineral thieves in Bolivia are sending recruiters to employ vulnerable workers to rob one of the state-owned ore mining companies.

COLOMBIA / 25 MAR 2019

Colombia’s southern department of Nariño is home to an extortion scheme, where two of the country’s largest criminal organizations, the ELN and the Urabeños, shake down illegal miners.

COLOMBIA / 21 MAR 2019

Colombian authorities have discovered that an important water resource is under threat from illegal mining in a rural area of Cúcuta, revealing that the region is dealing with far more…

ELITES AND CRIME / 21 MAR 2019

What do such distant countries as Venezuela, the Bahamas, Ireland, Morocco, Dubai and Turkey have in common? They were all part of the trade routes for illicit Venezuelan gold in…

DELITOS AMBIENTALES / 20 MAR 2019

Imaging compiled by the Monitoring of the Andean Amazon Project (MAAP) shows how in 2018 medium scale deforestation affected huge swaths of rainforest in Peru’s central and southern jungle…

GENDER AND CRIME / 11 MAR 2019

Authorities in Peru have launched a largescale operation aimed at driving out illegal gold mining and other illicit activities in the Madre de Dios region, but similar operations have…

About InSight Crime

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela Coverage Continues to be Highlighted

3 MAR 2023

This week, InSight Crime co-director Jeremy McDermott was the featured guest on the Americas Quarterly podcast, where he provided an expert overview of the changing dynamics…

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Venezuela's Organized Crime Top 10 Attracts Attention

24 FEB 2023

Last week, InSight Crime published its ranking of Venezuela’s ten organized crime groups to accompany the launch of the Venezuela Organized Crime Observatory. Read…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime on El País Podcast

10 FEB 2023

This week, InSight Crime co-founder, Jeremy McDermott, was among experts featured in an El País podcast on the progress of Colombia’s nascent peace process.

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime Interviewed by Associated Press

3 FEB 2023

This week, InSight Crime’s Co-director Jeremy McDermott was interviewed by the Associated Press on developments in Haiti as the country continues its prolonged collapse. McDermott’s words were republished around the world,…

THE ORGANIZATION

Escaping Barrio 18

27 JAN 2023

Last week, InSight Crime published an investigation charting the story of Desafío, a 28-year-old Barrio 18 gang member who is desperate to escape gang life. But there’s one problem: he’s…