Illegal gold mining in Colombia is the main cause of deforestation, with more than 24,000 hectares of forests destroyed in 2014, according to the latest report of the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime, Colombia: Alluvial Gold Exploitation, published in June 2016. The results did not point to Amazonas department, but the eastern departments of Chocó and Antioquia as some of the most affected areas. However, the problem is regional and benefits transnational criminal organizations that pollute the environment and the population, exposing them to dangerous substances such as mercury.
“These criminal organizations are indifferent to the environmental damage dumping mercury in the river basin causes,” said Col. González. “We counter crimes against the Amazon, crimes against the environment.”
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