Can Brazil Keep Illegal Miners Off Yanomami Lands?
Brazil’s Federal Police detected no new illegal mines on Yanomami territory for the first time since monitoring began almost three…
Increasingly Brazen Gaitanistas Attack Colombia’s Biggest Gold Mine
Attacks on Colombia’s largest private gold mine by the Gaitanistas, one of the country’s strongest criminal organizations, have demonstrated the…
Brazil’s PCC Complicates Fight Against Illegal Mining in Amazon
Brazil’s foremost criminal group, the PCC, is providing a range of support to illegal gold miners in the Amazon, hindering…
Colombia’s Peace Process Stumbles as Gaitanista Ceasefire Ends
A spate of recent attacks by the AGC, one of Colombia’s leading criminal groups, has raised doubts about whether its…
Brazil Targets Illegal Gold Miners With Force and Legislation
Brazilian authorities are tightening restrictions on illegal gold miners in Indigenous Yanomami territory, but with miners simply migrating elsewhere, the…
Doubts Remain Over Venezuela’s Efforts to Stop Illegal Mining
Venezuela’s military launched an operation against illegal miners in Yapacana National Park following an international backlash over the destruction of…
Acacio Medina Front – Ex-FARC Mafia
The Acacio Medina Front is a dissident group that emerged from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias…
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.…