The Drug Cartels That Took Over Ecuador’s Gold Mines—And Why the Government Just Shut Them Down

2026-02-03 - 14:05

Key Points Ecuador halted mining in three provinces after discovering river contamination 9,000 times above safe limits—pollution now affecting 709,000 people across two countries Mexican and Venezuelan cartels seized control of gold extraction, earning more from illegal mining than the government collects in legitimate taxes Eleven soldiers died in a May 2025 ambush, exposing how