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LATIN AMERICA ADVISOR

LATIN AMERICA ADVISOR

A daily publication Of the dialogue

May 20, 2025

Why Has Peru Struggled to Limit Illegal Gold Mining?

Thirteen gold mine workers were kidnapped and killed this month by an armed illicit gold mining group. // File Photo: BillionPhotos.com via Adobe Stock.

Q

  • Peruvian President Dina Boluarte on May 5 suspended all mining operations in La Libertad department, Peru’s top gold-producing region, for 30 days after the discovery on May 4 of the bodies of 13 gold mine workers who had been kidnapped and murdered by an armed illicit gold mining group. Peru’s mining industry has called on the government to ramp up its efforts to prevent violence associated with illegal mining, citing escalating physical danger to local residents. Why has Peru’s government struggled to limit illegal gold mining? To what extent do illegal gold mining operations pose a threat to mining revenues and investment across Latin America? What role does the value of gold on international markets play in unregulated mining activity in the region?

A

Julia Yansura, director of the Environmental Crime & Illicit Finance Program at the Financial Accountability and Corporate Transparency (FACT) Coalition: “The murder of 13 workers in Pataz, Peru earlier this month marks a dramatic escalation in violence in a crisis that has long been developing. A closer look at the case reveals the complexity of the stakeholders involved: formal mining companies, informal miners, formal and informal security providers, local police officers and half a dozen criminal gangs involved in extortion, drugs and gold trafficking in northern Peru. According to investigative reporting by OjoPúblico, the men who died worked at an informal security company that had been hired by an artisanal miner serving as a supplier and subcontractor to the large mine. The informal security company appears to be owned by two active police officers, one of whom…”

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The Inter-American Dialogue publishes the Latin America Advisor every business day for a distinguished membership of informed corporate leaders, scholars, and government officials invested in Latin America’s development and future. The Advisor‘s highly regarded Q&A section covers questions submitted by subscribers themselves. Commentators regularly include heads of state, business leaders, diplomats, economists, analysts, and thought leaders from around the world. Many of the world’s largest and fastest-growing companies subscribe to the Advisor. To subscribe, click here. For terms and conditions, click here. For more information, contact Gene Kuleta, editor of the Advisor, at gkuleta@thedialogue.org.
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Diego Arria
Director,
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Merike Blofield
Professor of Political Science,
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Devry Boughner Vorwerk
CEO,
DevryBV Sustainable Strategies

Joyce Chang
Global Head of Research,
J.P. Morgan

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James R. Jones
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Craig Kelly
Senior Director,
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Exxon Mobil

Barbara Kotschwar
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Director,
US Education Finance Group

Nicolas Mariscal
Chairman,
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Thomas F. McLarty III
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Beatrice Rangel
Director,
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Ernesto Revilla
Head of Latin American Economics, Citi

Gustavo Roosen
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Andrés Rozental
President, Rozental &
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Shelly Shetty
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