In an unprecedented operation, customs authorities from Peru intercepted four tons of illegal mercury at the port of Callao, marking the largest seizure recorded in an Amazonian country and one of the largest worldwide.
The toxic substance was camouflaged in bags of contaminated gravel, inside a cargo ship bound for Bolivia, disguised as crushed stone.
The seizure was made possible thanks to the joint action of the National Superintendence of Customs and Tax Administration (SUNAT) and the exchange of international intelligence, which allowed the hidden material to be detected.
American specialists later confirmed that the gravel contained embedded mercury, a technique increasingly used by criminal networks to evade port controls.
Illegal Gold Mining and Mercury Use: A Multisectoral Threat
Mercury is a highly dangerous neurotoxin, the use of which is prohibited or restricted in numerous countries. However, it remains key to the extraction process used by illegal miners in the Amazon rainforest: it is mixed with gold particles to form an amalgam, which is then heated and evaporated, releasing harmful vapors.
The rest flows into the rivers, where it transforms into methylmercury, its most aggressive form, accumulating in fish and aquatic fauna.
The region of Madre de Dios, in southeastern Peru, is one of the most critical areas. Studies have detected high levels of mercury in drinking water, fish, and breast milk, especially affecting indigenous and riverside communities that depend on fish for their subsistence.
Long-term exposure causes irreversible brain damage, especially in children and pregnant women.
Smuggling from Mexico and Million-Dollar Margins in the Jungle
According to official data, much of the illegal mercury in Peru comes from Mexico, where it is extracted in states such as Querétaro.
Its value has increased with the rise in the price of gold, reaching 330 dollars per kilogram, while the price of gold is around 3,500 dollars per ounce, generating profit margins exceeding 400% in Amazonian areas.
Part of the intercepted shipment is believed to have originated in clandestine artisanal mines within reserves protected by UNESCO, exacerbating the environmental and legal issues.
Investigations by the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) estimate that up to 30 tons of mercury are trafficked annually from Mexico to countries like Peru and Colombia through a single criminal network.
However, recent reports project a flow of up to 56 tons in 2024, and warn that Colombia leads per capita mercury emissions in the world, with 150 tons released each year, most of which are linked to illegal gold mining.
Gold, Mercury, and Organized Crime: A Trifecta Expanding Its Reach
The new EIA investigation, released concurrently with the announcement by the Peruvian government, documents the existence of a criminal “trifecta” that links illegal mining, mercury trafficking, and drug trafficking.
According to the organization, organized groups such as the Jalisco New Generation Cartel have begun to venture into the supply of mining inputs, using fictitious business structures and forged documents.
Once inside Amazonian territory, the mercury is distributed to clandestine mining camps, located in protected areas or indigenous territories, where its tracking becomes nearly impossible, complicating enforcement efforts.
