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Colombian military operations against illegal gold mining

Updated 2 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

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2026-10-02 20:42 UTC → 2026-10-05 02:34 UTC · added removed

The Colombian military has conducted continues operations to dismantle illegal gold mining infrastructure across different regions of the country. various regions. In Antioquia, forces intervened the Special Energy and Road Battalion No. 4 destroyed a production unit in the El Ingenio district of San Rafael municipality near the Guatapé River Rafael. This operation, reportedly linked to disrupt an operation the ‘Pacificadores de Samaná’ criminal sub-structure, resulted in the Playas area. The seizure of machinery, including an artisanal dredge tools, and classifiers, resulted in an estimated economic loss of over $25 million. This specific fuel valued at approximately 1,040 million Colombian pesos. The unit had a an estimated monthly production capacity of approximately 1,800 3,000 grams of gold. In gold, with a market value exceeding 1,300 million pesos. Troops also recovered a satellite internet antenna used by criminal leaders for communication and monitoring. These actions follow previous interventions in San Rafael near the Guatapé River and in the Nariño region, where the National Army, specifically the Third Division and Hercules Task Force, Army dismantled three mining complexes in the municipalities of Barbacoas and Magüí Payán. These sites had a combined monthly capacity to produce over 10,400 grams of gold, with an estimated illegal market value exceeding 4,659 million pesos. Logistical damage from the destruction of equipment is valued at more than 1,800 million pesos. Authorities Payán linked these operations to the Ariel Aldana structure of the Coordinadora Nacional Ejército Bolivariano, operating under alias Walter Mendoza, noting that such activities serve as a primary funding source for armed groups in the Pacific region. A report by Bolivariano. Data from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Colombian government indicates that highlights a broader crisis: illegal and unauthorized alluvial gold mining expanded by 4.5% year-on-year in 2025, covering 118,410 hectares. Approximately 75% of alluvial gold production is illegal. illegal, with 21% holding permits. This expansion has primarily affected lands belonging to heavily impacted Afro-Colombian communities and lands—accounting for 61% of the increase—and 30 Indigenous reserves. Significant concentrations are found located in Chocó, Antioquia, and Bolívar. Illegal mining is identified as remains the second-largest source of financing for armed groups, following drug trafficking. trafficking, and is linked to coca cultivation in nearly half of the mining areas. Environmental impacts include deforestation and river pollution.

Versions

  1. 2026-10-05 02:34 UTC Colombian military operations against illegal gold mining
  2. 2026-10-02 20:42 UTC Colombian military operations against illegal gold mining
  3. 2026-09-28 22:52 UTC Colombian military operations against illegal gold mining

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