Peru seizes mercury cargo in battle against illegal gold mining
Peruvian authorities last month seized about four metric tons of mercury shipped from Mexico as authorities in the Amazon region battle to stem the flow of the neurotoxin used in illegal gold mining.
The seizure by customs officials — acting on intelligence provided by the Environmental Investigation Agency — was the biggest ever reported by an Amazonian country, the EIA said in a statement Thursday.
Record-high bullion prices are underpinning a jump in illegal gold mining in the region, with mercury from Mexican mines a key input in a crude and polluting refining process. An estimated 200 tons were trafficked from April 2019 to June 2025, resulting in the production of at least $8 billion in illegal gold at current prices, according to a new EIA report.
The report asserts that mercury and gold trafficking intersects with organized crime in both Mexico and Colombia.
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