Peru Illegal Mining Raid

Photos by Rodrigo Abd Patricia Quispe sat sullen on a black suitcase outside a dismantled mining camp, nursing her baby son and waiting for her husband, who was among 41 wildcat gold miners arrested in Peru’s latest crackdown on illegal mining in the Amazon.

Peru Mining Ghost Town

Photos by Rodrigo Abd In April of 2014, Peru’s government dialed up a crackdown on illegal gold mining that has badly scarred the ecologically rich southeastern jungle region of Madre de Dios.

Peru’s Illegal Gold

Photos by Rodrigo Abd In a surprise raid, about 1,500 police and troops dynamited $20 million worth of heavy machinery as Peru’s government dialed up a crackdown on illegal gold mining that has badly scarred the ecologically rich southeastern jungle region of Madre de Dios.