An international police operation carried out in South America in December 2025 is considered the first to specifically target illegal gold mining.
Named “Operation Guyana Shield”, it was coordinated by police and judicial authorities from Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, and Suriname. Involving more than 24,500 inspections of vehicles and people, it resulted in 198 detections.
Among those detained are three men who were arrested in Guyana on suspicion of gold smuggling and money laundering. At the time of their arrest, they were transporting unrefined gold and $590,000 in cash. In a statement, Interpol, which supported the operation, said that these men are allegedly members of a large criminal organization with possible ties to one of the largest gold-exporting companies in Guyana.
“The exponential rise in gold prices at the international level has led to an increase in illegal gold mining, making it the revenue source for organized crime groups that has grown the fastest,” explains Valdecy Urquiza, Secretary General of Interpol.
And he adds that the international police organization is working with its partners to disrupt the operations of these criminal networks and to “prevent further harm in this remote and environmentally fragile region.”
In Guyana and Suriname, cylinders of mercury were also seized, valued at more than $60,000. Mercury is often used in illegal gold extraction because it helps separate gold from other metals present in sediments. However, it is highly toxic, both to human health and to the environment and other forms of life.
The mercury cylinders were being transported by bus, hidden inside solar panels.
The operation also led to the seizure of mining equipment, such as pumps, and to the interception of a bus transporting undocumented migrants, including several minors whom authorities suspect were exploited for child labor or sexual exploitation.
