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Grisly Peru mine murders highlight 'golden curse' in Andes

Frank Monzon, a Peruvian miner, was well aware of the risks involved in his work. However the allure of gold deep within the Andean rock that covers the northern Pataz Province outweighed them. He and 12 other miners are now dead in the worst mining massacre in Peru's history. The authorities in Peru's gold rich north halted mining activities this week and sent the military in after the police recovered the bodies from the Lidmar Mine after they had been kidnapped and murdered by illegal miners a month ago.

Lidmar worked in agreement with Poderosa, Peru’s second largest gold producer. The suspected illegal mining gangs have been responsible for the killings that have shook the mineral-rich nation, which is the world's No. The world's No. 3 copper producer, and No. Gold, where the soaring prices of gold have led to an explosion in illegal activities and clashes between large mines and small operators.

According to the Peruvian government, illegal mining, mostly of gold, is worth more than drug trafficking, with an annual value of $3-4 billion.

Abraham Dominguez - the father of a victim - said: "He told me there were many deaths, and I kept telling my son to leave this job. Come back. Don't work here, work somewhere else."

"It is a terrible pain for us parents. It's blood from our children. "I thought maybe one day, he would burry me. But instead, I will bury my child."

In cities across the country, the relatives of the mine workers who were murdered, and had worked as security guards said goodbye to their loved ones.

Families in Trujillo (capital of the region that includes Pataz) were afraid to speak with the media during funerals, citing fear of reprisals by criminal gangs, whom authorities blamed for the killings.

Monzon's white coffin was paraded by his family and friends through Trujillo streets before he was buried. Darwin Cobenas, a humble native of northern Piura was laid to rest by his family in his modest hometown. His family wept and prayed for justice.

At Monzon's funeral, a local man in 30s who had previously worked with some of those killed said, "I am only alive because my friends told me not go." "He said: 'A lot is happening, don’t go.'"

"GOLD IS A Curse"

Pataz is now Peru's most important gold producing region. This is in large part because of the artisanal or informal mines that operate under temporary REINFO licenses.

According to sources in the police and mining industry, when gold prices are near records, illegal groups will often swarm into small-scale mines or steal their output, working with criminal gangs.

Aldo Marino said that "gold is a curse" for Pataz. He was in Lima to meet with President Dina Bouluarte to demand more investment for his remote region. It is an 18-hour drive from Trujillo.

He claimed that his community, despite its great mineral wealth, lives in poverty. It lacks basic services, and the roads are deteriorated or unpaved.

This has been happening for years. Now, everything is in ruins. He said that the lack of a state was the reason. "People continue to die."

Trujillo prosecutors who are investigating the deaths stated on Tuesday, citing forensic analyses, that the workers were dead for 7 to 8 days. Lidmar stated in a press release that its workers were "ambushed, cruelly abused, and killed by hitmen."

Poderosa reported 39 deaths in the last few years as a result of attacks on its gold-producing facilities and small mines. In the last four-year period, 15 high-voltage poles of the company have been blown up with explosives.

In 2024, Peru exported gold worth $15.5 billion. This is a dramatic increase over the $11 billion it had in 2018. Estimates suggest that 40% of the gold in Peru came from illegal sources.

(source: Reuters)