Tragic Incident Highlights Illegal Mining Crisis in Peru.

The recent discovery of 13 murdered workers from the La Poderosa gold mine in Pataz, northern Peru, has brought to light the escalating crisis of illegal mining in the region. These individuals, employed by the subcontractor R&R, were abducted on April 26, 2025, and found dead a week later, their bodies bound and blindfolded in a mineshaft. The perpetrators are believed to be criminal groups associated with illegal mining operations, which have increasingly targeted legal mining activities in the area. This incident is part of a broader pattern of violence; La Poderosa reports that 39 of its workers have been killed since it began operations in 1980, including a deadly attack in December 2023 that resulted in nine deaths and over 20 injuries.