Illegal mining in Pataz fuels organized crime in Peru

Illegal mining in Peru has become a significant driver of organized crime, with estimated sales potentially exceeding US$10 billion by 2025. A study by the Centro de Estudios Estratégicos del Ejército del Perú highlights the province of Pataz in the La Libertad region as a critical epicenter for these criminal economies.

In Pataz, high international gold prices and structural poverty have allowed criminal networks to establish territorial control, often filling the void left by limited state presence. These groups utilize armed capacity to manage illicit gold operations and erode formal governance.

The report also identifies the misuse of the Integral Mining Formalization Registry (REINFO). Originally designed to help small producers transition to legality, the mechanism is being exploited by illicit operators to provide a veneer of formality to activities that bypass environmental, tax, and labor regulations. The study calls for a redesign of REINFO and strengthened field inspections to disrupt these illegal value chains.