Sticks and Carrots: Lula’s Balancing Act in Brazil’s Crime-Wracked Amazon
In some ways, Brazil’s new president has faced worse. In 2002, the year before he entered office, Amazon deforestation stood…
CJNG Control of Illegal Mining in Michoacán, Mexico, Claiming Indigenous Lives
Indigenous communities are up in arms in Michoacán, Mexico, after a series of murders and disappearances have been connected to…
The R Organization
The R Organization (Organización R – OR) is one of Bolívar state’s fastest-growing mining gangs, often referred to as sindicatos.…
Nature Under Threat in Ecuador as Gold Miners Target National Park
An Amazon conservation initiative has detected a rapid growth in illegal gold mining sites at a natural park and ecological…
Mass Graves in Venezuela Connected to Disappearances in Illegal Mining Hub
The discovery of three mass graves in Venezuela’s eastern state of Bolívar points to how sinister the increase in disappearances…
Illegal Mining Spreads to Furthest Reaches of Amazon in Ecuador
Police operations in Ecuador this year have uncovered shocking levels of environmental damage caused by illegal mining in the far-flung…
Lake Titicaca: A Smuggler’s Paradise in Bolivia and Peru
Lake Titicaca, nestled high in the Andean mountains between Bolivia and Peru, has been many things to many people. The…
Corruption, Cocaine, and Gold: Interview With Suriname’s President Santokhi
Suriname, South America’s smallest country, is facing multiple criminal challenges. It is a cocaine transit route to Europe, an illegal…
Could Venezuelan Military Finally Bring Bolívar’s Illegal Gold Miners to Heel?
The Venezuelan government has placed small-scale miners and rogue mining gangs in its crosshairs, as shown by a major military…
Legal Frameworks to Protect the Amazon Are Being Sorely Tested
Environmental crime thrives across the Amazon as a result of low state resilience. Some efforts have been made to combat…