Havana/At least 60 people were arrested in an operation against illegal gold mining in El Yarey, an area of the municipality of Yateras, in Guantánamo, according to the official Facebook profile reported this Tuesday. Guantánamo and its Truth. The raid, led by forces from the Ministry of the Interior, took place on the banks of the town’s river, where violence has been practiced for some time. clandestine mineral extraction.
The publication spreads several images, in which it can be seen that the majority of those detained are young people. According to the same source, they probably resided in the territory itself, although they claim to have no details of their origin. There is also no official confirmation of the operation and the specific number of arrests.
Some of those involved could be prosecuted for the crimes of “soil contamination and disobedience,” while “preventive or prophylactic measures would be applied to others depending on their individual situation and possible recidivism,” states the profile, which warns that this is “preliminary and developing information.”
Some of those involved could be prosecuted for the crimes of “soil contamination and disobedience.”
The photographs released show numerous men in rubber boots and work clothes in a wooded area, as well as tents, improvised wooden structures and remains of packaging.
The arrests have generated criticism for the lack of employment alternatives in the area. “It is easy to send police. The difficult thing seems to be guaranteeing opportunities so that these young people can support their families,” Yois Ramos wrote on Facebook. “Seeking sustenance does not turn anyone into a criminal,” he added, although he asked to investigate possible environmental damage.
Among the comments on his publication, another Internet user lamented that it is “very easy to detain young people who are trying to support their family,” while in Guantánamo “you cannot leave at any time” because “they assault you and beat you and nothing happens.”
For his part, doctor Yunisel Márquez Pupo, resident in Venezuela, questioned: “What ecological damage can they do to a little piece of land, when the real people responsible are harming thousands of people in the nickel mining in Moa, so that every year many people die from lung cancer caused by mining.”
El Yarey had been the scene days before of a violent assault related to the clandestine sale of gold
Days before, El Yarey had been the scene of a violent assault related to the clandestine sale of gold. According to a complaint published on October 9 For the same profile Guantánamo and its Truth, a man identified as Ovadis, resident in Palenque, was hit on the head with a stone when he was negotiating the purchase of several ounces of the precious metal with three young people from the community of Arroyo del Medio.
The attackers allegedly stole his gold and around 1.2 million pesos, in addition to leaving him unconscious. A passerby took him to a health center and he was later referred to the Guantánamo Provincial Hospital. The same publication assured that the three alleged perpetrators were arrested and that the authorities recovered more than 200,000 pesos. It has not been indicated whether the case is related to the new operation.
The police offensive is not the first in Yateras either. On September 29, Guantánamo and its Truth also reported of operations in that municipality and in Imías, where several people were arrested for illegal gold extraction, some allegedly repeat offenders. The profile also reported alterations in river beds, damage to flora and fauna, and contamination of water and soil with chemicals.
In 2025, five people were sentenced in Yateras to sentences of between one year and two years in prison for soil contamination
The persecution of gold seekers has other judicial precedents in the same municipality. In September 2025, five people were convicted to sentences of between one year and six months and two years and seven months in prison for soil contamination. The defendants illegally extracted the mineral on the banks of the Toa River, within the Alejandro de Humboldt National Park, declared a World Heritage Site.
Clandestine extraction has also set off health alarms in other provinces. Last Sunday, the official Newspaper 26 warned of the health consequences of the use of mercury in the illegal mines of Las Tunas. According to a specialist cited by that medium, neurological, renal and psychiatric diseases associated with activity in Jobabo and nearby communities reach levels that triple the national statistics.
Mercury used to separate gold can cause serious damage to the nervous system
The mercury used to separate gold can cause serious damage to the nervous system, kidneys and cardiovascular system. Jobabo doctors have treated more than 25 patients with complications related to its use, including young people with acute kidney failure.
Police operations have also failed to stop the activity. In March 2025, eight people were arrested in Jobabowhere authorities seized electrical generators, water pumps and crushing equipment. In August of this year, a dispute between clandestine miners in Placetas, Villa Claraended with a man dead and his brother seriously injured. The Descanso mine, in that municipality, had been officially closed in 2019, but illegal gold extraction continued in the area.
