Interpol arrests 200 in West Africa over ‘illegal mining’ 

Interpol has arrested at least 200 people in four West African countries over alleged illegal mining, the international police body said on Tuesday.

An operation targeting illegal mining in Burkina Faso, the Gambia, Guinea and Senegal has led to the arrest of 200 people.

The operations, code-named Sanu, were carried out in Burkina Faso, The Gambia, Guinea and Senegal from June to October 2024.

Operation Sanu (July–October 2024) brought together experts from INTERPOL and national law enforcement agencies to combat illegal mining and associated crimes, with hundreds of officers deployed to identify criminal routes and modus operandi in remote and isolated areas of the four countries.

The cross-border collaboration led to the seizure of significant amounts of chemicals and equipment used in illegal mining: 150 kgs of cyanide, 325 kgs of active charcoal, 14 cylinders of mercury with an estimated value of over USD 100,000, 20 litres of nitrite acid, and two 57-litre containers of sulfuric acid. 10 kilogramme of cocaine and almost 7,000 explosive devices were also seized.

INTERPOL Secretary General Valdecy Urquiza said:
“Transnational criminal networks exploit mineral resources around the world, harming the environment, hurting national economies, weakening fragile communities, and endangering public health and safety. The operation’s success highlights the effectiveness of law enforcement when they join forces to tackle these threats.”.

Underlining the human cost of illegal mining, the operations team also seized large quantities of opioid pain relief tablets, commonly used by miners in the region to alleviate the pain caused by the use of chemicals such as mercury and cyanide in illicit small-scale gold mining. These chemicals can have serious toxic effects on the human nervous system.

The operation also gave INTERPOL and the law enforcement officers and prosecutors involved new insights into the wider damage caused by illegal mining in the region – from deforestation to landslides and the deviation of river flows leading to drought or flooding – as well as its impact on economies and communities in the region.