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🇧🇴 Bolivia /Crime & Justice

11 Chinese Nationals Among 18 Arrested in Bolivia Illegal Mining Operation

From El Deber · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Bolivian environmental police and mining regulators arrested 18 people, including 11 apparently Chinese nationals, during a raid in Lacatía, La Paz department.
  • Authorities found an active underground mine, modern equipment and explosives, including dynamite cartridges, detonating cord and blasting caps.
  • Mining regulator Jaime Sanabria said illegal mining had become an economic, security and governance problem, claiming more than 80% of Bolivia’s mining activity is illegal.

Eighteen people were arrested in Bolivia’s Lacatía community during an operation against illegal mining, including 11 people apparently of Chinese nationality and seven Bolivians. The raid took place in the municipality of Sorata, about 150 kilometers from La Paz.

Environmental crime police and officials from the Administrative Jurisdictional Mining Authority entered a camp, then searched the Huilachuro river and the Metalani 2 mining area. In a remote location, they found mining activity underway and an underground excavation extending about 50 meters.

We were initially able to arrest 18 people, 11 foreigners, apparently of Chinese nationality, and seven nationals.

· Marco Antonio AzeñasThe La Paz departmental director of Bolivia’s environmental crime police described the arrests.

Officials also found fuel and a large quantity of explosives, including dynamite cartridges, detonating cord and blasting caps. Authorities said they were still quantifying and analyzing the material. The 18 detainees were taken to the La Paz offices of the Special Anti-Crime Force for judicial and prosecutorial review.

Illegal mining has stopped being simply an administrative and environmental problem and has become an economic, security and governance problem.

· Jaime SanabriaThe national mining regulator’s director characterized the wider implications of the operation.

AJAM director Jaime Sanabria said the operation followed a request from the Buenavista mining cooperative, which holds mining rights in Metalani 2. Cooperative members had reported that foreign citizens had invaded the area. Sanabria said the site contained modern machinery, facilities, a camp and equipment representing an investment that could exceed $5 million.

“Illegal mining has stopped being simply an administrative and environmental problem and has become an economic, security and governance problem,” Sanabria said. Citing agency statistics and previous interventions, he claimed that more than 80% of mining activity in Bolivia is illegal, covering gold extraction as well as traditional and large-scale mining. He also warned that illegal operations are well organized and can receive protection, complicity or participation from local communities in exchange for a share of the profits.

More than 80% of the mining activity carried out in the country is illegal.

· Jaime SanabriaSanabria cited agency statistics and mining interventions when assessing the scale of illegal activity.
About this summary

Originally published by El Deber in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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