Overview
- Police environmental units destroyed illegal mining camps in Madre de Dios and confiscated machinery, boats and fuel valued at S/64.5 million during two coordinated operations, including large hauls in the Isla Córdova and Zorro Valencia sectors.
- Analysts say the raids are short of a solution because illegal gold has grown into an organized criminal industry that now concentrates about 44% of South America’s illicit gold exports and was valued at an estimated US$12 billion in 2025.
- Over the last decade the commercialization chain ballooned, with processing plants rising to about 13,876 and exporters to roughly 1,253, while exports of gold concentrate jumped to US$880 million in 2024.
- The metal is moved in hard‑to‑trace forms—concentrate, powder, recycled metal and crushed e‑waste—which, together with gaps in destination‑country rules, lets illicit gold enter formal markets and hide its origin.
- Experts warn that expanded use of the Reinfo formalization registry, weak enforcement capacity, reduced formalization budgets and limited intelligence‑led operations leave environmental damage, illicit profits and macroeconomic costs largely unchecked.