Poderosa Faces Attack by Criminals Linked to Illegal Mining

LIMA (Reuters) – Poderosa, one of Peru’s largest gold miners, announced on Wednesday that it encountered a fresh attack by “criminals” associated with illegal mining at its facility in the Andean nation, resulting in the death of a security agent.

Another individual suffered injuries from inhaling toxic fumes during the assault in the Amazonian province of Pataz. Poderosa expressed condolences to the family of the deceased security agent, an employee of security firm Huayna SAC.

The armed attack involved the use of explosives and commenced before 5 p.m. on Tuesday, continuing well past midnight.

This year, the company reported that illegal miners were responsible for a power outage and attacks on electricity towers. Additionally, a raid in December left nine dead and 15 injured at a Poderosa mine. Over the past two years, at least 30 fatalities have occurred nationwide due to armed assaults on gold mines.

Despite the substantial police presence in Pataz, Poderosa stated, “these attacks against our operations have not ceased.”

The company attributed the ongoing violence to the rapid rise of illegal mining in conjunction with organized crime, which operates with complete impunity.

Poderosa urged Congress to refrain from extending the mandate of the REINFO program, which aims to formalize small-scale miners and is set to expire at year-end, alleging that it facilitates illegal mining.

Furthermore, the miner called on the state to intensify its efforts against illegal mining and enhance regulations on processing plants that handle products from illegal operations.

Peru is a significant global supplier of copper and gold.