Staff of the National Police and of the Armed forces They rescued 20 artisanal miners who remained kidnapped in the province of PatazLa Libertad, in which they called “Operation Qatar.”
The joint action was carried out at 3 am on Sunday, April 12 at the Sanone mine entrance, located in the Pueblo Nuevo sector, after the violent incursion of an armed criminal organization into the site.
Pataz
READ: Pataz: confrontation between law enforcement and residents reported in the center
The criminals sought to take control of the extraction area through the use of gunshots and acts of intimidation against the personnel present.
In a statement sent to El Comercio, the Ministry of Defense highlighted that “the elite forces of the Pataz Unified Command were immediately deployed, executing a tactical maneuver for territorial control that led to an armed confrontation.”
The agents of the CUnified Command Patazthey executed the rescue plan and it was at that moment that an armed confrontation took place against the kidnappers. The latter, seeing themselves overwhelmed, chose to flee through the internal ducts of the sinkhole.
After securing the area, the 20 workers were freed and evacuated by military and police personnel. The official report confirmed that No injuries or human losses were reported. during the development of the tactical actions and that the miners were immediately taken to safety.
The authorities reported that they will maintain surveillance and sustained operations in the province to guarantee compliance with the laws.
In subsequent statements, the head of the Joint Command of the Armed Forces, Army General César Briceño Valdivia, highlighted that the Armed Forces and the National Police acted “with preparation and commitment, achieving the recovery of territorial control and the protection of the lives of those kidnapped by the criminal organization.”
In addition, the officer highlighted the strategic scope of the action and reaffirmed the State’s commitment to dismantling criminal structures that operate in critical areas of the country.
Lucero Valdivia, a national security expert, told El Comercio that “the recent interventions of the Armed Forces in Pataz represent an important advance in the process of recovering territorial control in the face of the expansion of illegal mining and organized crime.”
He indicated that “not only do they contribute to reducing the levels of violence, but they also send a clear signal of the presence of the State in areas where illicit economies have been consolidated for years.”
latent danger
The specialist noted that “since the beginning of the decade, Pataz has become one of the most critical scenarios of violence linked to illegal mining in Peru. Proof of this is that in 2025 it recorded almost 50 crimes linked to this activity.”
The province of Pataz closed 2025 with 49 people murdered as a result of the actions of organized crime.
“The situation in Pataz shows how illegal mining has ceased to be solely an economic or environmental problem and has become a phenomenon deeply linked to organized crime. What we observe is the consolidation of criminal structures that not only seek to control territories, but also capture the entire gold value chain, resorting to violence to impose their dominance,” said Valdivia.
Violent growth
A report released by the Investigation Unit of The Commerce He explained that, during the pandemic, informal miners turned to criminal organizations to protect their production.
However, starting in 2023, these criminal networks would no longer be limited to providing protection but would become direct actors in the lucrative business. According to the investigation, those who refused to accept their participation in the extraction and marketing chain were victims of threats or murders.
Since then, two elements have decisively influenced the expansion of informal mining, both in Pataz and in other areas of the country. On the one hand, the sharp increase in the price of gold, whose price went from around US$1,800 per ounce to exceeding US$4,300 in a period of just three years.
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