Gold, a coveted precious metal seen around the world as a symbol of wealth and power, is having the opposite meaning in Peru, where illegal mining of the highly prized metal is devastating the rainforest, polluting its rivers with mercury and destroying the livelihood of local communities.
This harmful effect, as demonstrated by investigations carried out by the Specialized Environmental Prosecutor’s Office (FEMA) of the city of Iquitos, located in northeastern Peru, contrasts widely with what even gold represents for many cultures, where it is associated to the immortal and the divine.
“Since 2020, this illicit (fact) has been investigated in the upper Nanay Basin and in the Napo (river),” Iquitos prosecutor Carlos Castro Quintanilla recently said, alluding to the investigations that have revealed that the illegal mining of the Gold in these rivers, tributaries of the Amazon, is in the hands of cross-border criminal actors.
The prosecutor further explained that these identified criminal actors are part of a dissident faction of the unarmed Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), known as “Sinaloa” or “Border Commandos.”
Castro assured that they already have “a conviction” in the Napo River and three other cases that have also been identified by their aliases while the investigation involving about 20 people continues. “We have people who have been reported for facilitating, manipulating, transferring, transporting supplies such as fuel, devices intended for illegal mining.”
According to testimonies from witnesses protected by the Prosecutor’s Office and from illegal miners who agreed to provide information for this report, the leader of this criminal organization is known by the alias “Papilón”, whose identity we learned through the same sources but who We will not disclose due to confidentiality of the investigation.
Videos of some operations delivered to the press show how heavy machinery, necessary for the operations carried out by illegal miners, is being transported.
Corruption and lack of state control are key factors that allow the proliferation of illegal mining in the Loreto region, according to witnesses. To this could be added the isolation of the place, which lacks land routes that connect it with the rest of the country.
People on the ground estimate that sometimes and despite the efforts of the Peruvian government to combat this illegal activity, the lack of coordination between institutions and the lack of resources delay more effective action against a crime that is impacting the environment and the community. life of the residents.
Prosecutor Castro explained, for example, that the sometimes lack of fuel and logistics for communications “quite weakens our intervention.”
What happens with gold extraction in Peru?
To understand what is happening you have to look at the Nanay River, a tributary of the Amazon that is located in Loreto. Its importance lies in the fact that it is responsible for supplying water to Iquitos, capital of Loreto and now converted into the epicenter of a new environmental tragedy.
The dredges, as the machines that extract gold from the river bed are known, operate without control, leaving a desolate landscape in their wake. Deforestation, mercury contamination and ecosystem alteration are just some of the consequences of this illicit activity.
According to the Peruvian Institute of Economics (IPE), Peru’s illegal gold exports are estimated to reach a record $6.84 billion in 2024, an increase of 41% compared to the previous year. This illicit activity is not only destroying the Amazon, but is also financing criminal groups operating in the region. Illegal mining in Peru is of enormous importance: around 50% of the gold exported by the country has been extracted illegally.
The escape route for Peruvian gold
Research indicates that the gold extracted from Nanay is moved through river and land routes to the border points shared by Peru, Colombia and Brazil. Although it has not been possible to corroborate the transportation of gold to Putumayo, investigations indicate that it is possible that this and other routes are also being used for the same purpose.
“We are doing precisely with the logistics we have, to be able to carry out interdiction activities in the destruction mode in all the basins, but to be able to do it we have to handle certain information that helps us identify the place where they are located, in order not to waste the scarce resources we have and to be able to have a successful operation,” Castro said.
The prosecutor explained that the groups that move illegal mining are well equipped with satellite phones, Starlink internet, radios for high-frequency communication, large quantities of fuel, solar panels, batteries, diving suits, night vision machines and drones.
However, he assured that the work of the prosecution does not stop in conjunction with other forces such as the Peruvian Navy. “We continue with what the State can provide us and with that we can organize operations and actions like the ones we have been doing.”
Part of the precious metal is transported to Leticia, in Colombia, for laundering and subsequent sale on the international market, using the same routes used for drug trafficking.
A river transporter contacted in Caballococha indicated for this report that on several occasions he has moved loads of the coveted metal to the border.
“They are not large packages, they are well camouflaged and they just pass… Not all the boats are inspected and there are always those who warn us if there is a risk,” declared the carrier on condition of anonymity.
Gold and drug trafficking routes have also been reported by specialized studies carried out by non-governmental entities such as the Foundation for Conservation and Sustainable Development (FCDS).
Castro said that so far about seven people have been convicted of the crimes of “financing” and “illegal metal mining.” These people operated in the Nanay, Napo and Putumayo rivers.
Read also- The Amazon: is it possible to do environmental journalism in the threatened green lung of the planet?
The devastating health consequences
The mercury used in gold extraction pollutes rivers and causes it to accumulate in the food chain, affecting the health of people who consume contaminated fish.
Health risks include neurological problems, cardiovascular diseases and effects on fetal development.
Water pollution also impacts access to drinking water and the livelihood of local communities that depend on the river.
The fight for the protection of the Nanay River
Local communities and environmental activists have raised their voices to denounce the destruction of the Nanay River.
However, they often face threats and violence from criminal groups that control illegal mining.
The lack of state support and the impunity of those responsible aggravate the situation, according to residents interviewed who do not identify themselves for fear of their safety and that of their families.
More than a dozen residents are already on the register of human rights defenders, in order to obtain some protection from threats from illegal actors.
Illegal mining in the Nanay River is – according to sources consulted and aware of the investigations – an enormous threat to the health of the population, the Amazonian biodiversity and the future of the region. The present and future of the Amazon will depend on the fight against corruption and the promotion of sustainable economic alternatives for local communities, agree the sources consulted for this report.
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