The list of crimes common in Crucitas is ever growing. Gold and silver looting, money laundering, corruption, tax evasion, human trafficking, and illegal arms and mercury deals are among them.
Organized criminal groups are dedicated to bringing in workers, chemicals, and weapons, then bribing officials to turn a blind eye and exporting the stolen gold and silver. They leave behind terribly polluted rivers, dead animals, and cut down forests.
The OIJ has been investigating and reporting on the situation as well as taking measures to disperse the people involved and seal off the mines they have created. In February, the Ministry of Public Security evicted eight barracks of miners and sealed off five tunnels in which they operated.
Still, day by day, more and more gold and silver is exported illegally one way or another. Additionally, more and more people, including a significant number of women and children, are forced into exploited labor.
In a single transport, 2.4 tons of cyanide and 1.4 kilograms of mercury were seized. This was coming from Nicaragua. The groups also get it from inside the country from companies who normally distribute it legally.
