Peru targets illegal mining via diesel supply controls

The Peruvian government is shifting its approach to combating illegal mining by focusing on logistical strangulation rather than traditional interdiction operations. Minister of Energy and Mines Guillermo Shinno revealed a strategy designed to cut the supply of diesel and other critical inputs to illegal mining centers.

This approach targets the supply chain that sustains heavy machinery, such as excavators and backhoes, used in regions like Madre de Dios, the Pataz-La Libertad corridor, and southern Amazonian basins. The logic is that without fuel, processing plants and dredging equipment cannot operate. While similar strategies have been attempted in Colombia and Bolivia, the effectiveness of this plan depends on the Peruvian state's institutional capacity to rigorously execute supply chain controls.