Bolivia’s AJAM reports illegal gold mining and armed attacks on inspectors

Bolivia’s mining regulator, the Autoridad Jurisdiccional Administrativa Minera (AJAM), discovered illegal gold‑mining activity in the Corazón Valiente area between the departments of Tarija and Chuquisaca. Inspectors documented heavy machinery, about 40 workers, and operations conducted without a valid mining licence, noting that the site is only under a prospecting permit.

AJAM also reported that its technical commissions were ambushed twice in 2025‑2026 in La Paz department – first in the community of Achiquiri and later in Lip’ichi. The teams faced gunfire, dynamite and verbal threats from armed groups linked to drug trafficking and illegal arms trade. The regulator said the state has lost control in some mining zones and is coordinating police, military and public‑prosecution support for future inspections.

The illegal mining is described as causing environmental damage, loss of tax revenue and a security challenge for the government, which plans inter‑institutional actions to combat the phenomenon.