Organized crime in the Americas: bad for the environment, too?

However, many times, the environmental effects are unrelated to so-called “eco-trafficking,” as the Guatemala report highlights with the example of Mexican cartels clearing forest for airstrips. Illegal mining, oil theft and cocaine production all have disastrous consequences for the environment. In illicit gold mining in particular in Colombia – a crime in which the FARC, Rastrojos, and Urabeños all have a stake – toxic chemicals such as mercury and cyanide are used, contaminating land and water supplies, as Peace Brigades International outlined in a 2011 report.
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Americas/Latin-America-Monitor/2012/1013/Organized-crime-in-the-Americas-bad-for-the-environment-too