00:00We're going to start with a somewhat remarkable report revealed by the investigative publication
00:05Forbidden Stories. In Peru's Madre de Dios region, illegal gold mining has devastated the
00:12Amazon rainforest for over a decade. The criminal gang, Guardianes de la Troja, controls the mines,
00:19spreading terror, threatening journalists, and silencing local communities. Despite government
00:24efforts, corruption and weak enforcement have allowed the gang to thrive, amassing wealth,
00:29while destroying the environment. Joining me on set right now is the author of this report,
00:34journalist Emmanuel Colombier. Emmanuel, thank you so much. This is a really astonishing report,
00:40just the intricacies of this gang. Speak to me about Guardianes de la Troja and how on earth you
00:48actually managed to get the testimony from the people who are affected. Well, thanks for having me.
00:54I work for Forbidden Stories, which is an international network of investigative journalists,
01:00and our mission is to continue the work of silenced journalists, be it jailed, killed, or threatened.
01:06We went, I went to La Pampa in last October to continue the work of a journalist, a local journalist,
01:13that was trying to unveil how a specific gang was controlling a big part of the illegal mining in this region.
01:19This region is in the southeast of Peru, close to Bolivia, and in the Amazon rainforest.
01:26And we managed to go with a local partner on the ground, on the field, to investigate how this gang is controlling little by little
01:33every aspect of the extraction and the illegal gold. And the level of violence of these gangs, the level of impunity that reigns in this region is astonishing
01:46and allows the system to strengthen. And it has been quite complicated to find reliable sources.
01:55And most of the people we interviewed asked us to be anonymized because they are fearing for another attacks.
02:03So, yes, it was kind of tricky. But, yeah, we managed this investigation to show how a local gang is able to control all the production
02:15and the exportation of illegal gold. And the illegal gold is, today, in Peru, six times more profitable than the illegal drug trafficking.
02:26So, with the prices of gold which are rising, it's a very complex and important issue for us.
02:32How powerful is this gang? Just talk to me about them. How scared are Peruvian authorities to even act at this point?
02:38Well, they started, like, a decade ago, just controlling the illegal mines that were already set up.
02:46And by doing the securities, they started to understand that it would be more profitable for them to control the production
02:55and the extraction of the gold. So, they are stalling the lands of the agricultors, of any people living in this region of La Pampa.
03:03And basically, well, devastating all the lands of the forest.
03:11And they are getting more and more weapons with the money they are able to get with that
03:17and to buy the silence of the locals, obviously, but also the authorities,
03:22which is, I think, the biggest issue is the level of corruption that the gold is able to, well, to control.
03:31Exactly. So, how intricate is the relationship between the gang, Guardianes de la Trocha, and the government?
03:38I mean, are there actual government members working with them?
03:42Well, I couldn't say it like that, but we talked with prosecutors, we talked with the police,
03:47and some sources told us that everyone gets its share of the illegal gold.
03:58So, you have lawyers, you have prosecutors, you have also high-level agents of the justice and police systems
04:08that are getting their share, which allows them to help the gang and also to keep everyone in silence.
04:15There is a code of silence imposed by this gang in this region, and the level of complicity is, once again, the heart of this problem.
04:25Is there any link between, because I'm sure if we had to know that the gold that we are buying actually comes from places like La Pampa,
04:34is there any link to international markets that you've been able to prove?
04:38Well, this might be the second episode of this investigation.
04:42In this one, we are talking about this gang, how the gang controls the mines locally,
04:47but we got some information about where the gold goes after that,
04:51and obviously, there's our connection with the neighbor countries, such as Bolivia or Brazil.
04:58But even inside Peru, illegal gold is mixed with illegal gold and then exported to a lot of different countries
05:05and most probably arrives in our jewels and so on.
05:08But this is not the part we are working on in this specific episode, but it's something we are working on, too.
05:14People want to have a bit of hope to cling on to, especially in the face of such adversity and these gangs.
05:20Are there any grassroots retaliation systems, any kind of movements against the gang at this stage?
05:28Well, there are some operations by the police and the army.
05:32There are some detentions, but from the information we got, most of the members of the gang,
05:38one of the leaders is free, is circulating on the broad daylight, is killing people in broad daylight in La Pampa.
05:46And obviously, the authorities are not doing what they should do, being on the local and also on the national level.
05:53The authorities are all corrupted or unable because they don't have the political will,
05:56all the human and financial resources to fight against the gang.
06:02And this is not the only gang that controls illegal mines in Peru.
06:06This happens in a lot of other regions, also in the neighbor's countries.
06:10So, it's a very, very tricky and complicated situation.
06:14So, this is just, Matt, that particular region.
06:17What do locals think it would take to actually defeat the gang?
06:20Well, the locals are scared.
06:23Most of them don't want to talk about what's happening.
06:26Once again, people disappear in La Pampa.
06:28We have a lot of up to 400 people disappeared or were killed in La Pampa region since 2014.
06:37And, well, they are obviously talking about the gang, but the most problems that the locals point out is complicity of the authorities.
06:48I think it's the art of the problem and the basis of the vicious circle that generates this situation.
06:56So, the locals would like the police and the authorities to do something efficient, but it's not the case.
07:03On that somber and sombering note, Emmanuel Colombia, thank you so much.
07:08And it's definitely worth a read.
07:10I'll rip your head off.
07:11That was talking about the gang, Guardianes de la Trocha.
07:15And it's revealed by Forbidden Stories, all about the illegal gold mining in Peru.
07:19Definitely worth a read there.
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