PATAZ, Peru — Following the shocking murder of 13 mine workers who were kidnapped last week, the Peruvian government has declared a night-time curfew in Pataz province. President Dina Boluarte announced that mining operations will also be suspended for a month and that additional police and soldiers will be deployed to the area.
The tragic incident, which has highlighted the violent activities of criminal gangs in the region, led to the discovery of the workers’ bodies in a mine shaft on Sunday. La Poderosa, the company that operates the gold mine, stated that the men were taken hostage by “illegal miners colluding with criminals” on April 26 before being brutally murdered. Their bodies revealed forensic evidence suggesting they were shot point-blank more than a week before they were found.
President Boluarte vowed that the armed forces would take “full control of La Poderosa mining area” to combat the escalating violence. In a statement, La Poderosa noted that a total of 39 individuals linked to the company have lost their lives to criminal gangs in Pataz.
“The spiral of uncontrolled violence in Pataz is occurring despite the declaration of a state of emergency and the presence of a large police contingent,” La Poderosa remarked. The province has been under a state of emergency since February 2024, yet violence continues to rise.
The 13 victims were contract workers employed by R&R, a subcontractor at La Poderosa. They were sent to confront a group that had overtaken the mine but were ambushed. Captors reportedly shared harrowing videos of the workers in captivity, causing widespread outrage in Peru.
César Ipenza, an environmental lawyer, labeled illegal mining as the “most lucrative criminal activity in the country.” Statistics indicate that illegal gold mining accounted for approximately $9 billion, or 60% of Peru’s total laundered assets, making its impact on crime substantial.
As illegal mining surges, exacerbated by the increased international price of gold, racketeering and contract killings have also seen an unprecedented rise. Peru’s murder rate increased by 35.9% in 2024 compared to the previous year, with illegal mining becoming a central issue in the nation’s rising violence.
Public response has been critical of the government’s handling of the situation. Many call the actions taken by Boluarte’s administration tardy. “The government needs to take more decisive and effective actions to combat this crisis,” a local activist expressed.
In December, thousands of gold miners protested in downtown Lima demanding that the government maintain a registry for informal miners to protect them from prosecution. This latest massacre brings to light the ongoing struggle for safety among workers in the mining sector, especially amidst the chaos wrought by illegal activities.
The government aims to introduce new legislation to combat these issues, with Boluarte emphasizing that illegal mining generates more income than drug trafficking. The path forward remains uncertain as the nation grapples with the complexities of its gold industry and the violence surrounding it.
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