Peru Seizes Mercury Cargo in Battle Against Illegal Gold Mining
An illegal gold mine in the Amazon jungle in southeastern Peru.
Photographer: Cris Bouroncle/AFP/Getty ImagesPeruvian authorities last month seized about four metric tons of mercury shipped from Mexico as authorities in the Amazon region battle to stem the flow of the neurotoxin used in illegal gold mining.
The seizure by customs officials — acting on intelligence provided by the Environmental Investigation Agency — was the biggest ever reported by an Amazonian country, the EIA said in a statement Thursday.