Bolivia Illegal Mining: Navy Raids Foreign-Run Camp 95 km Up Beni River
BOLIVIA · ENVIRONMENT
Key Facts
- —The country Bolivia has had no sea coast since the 1880s, but it keeps a navy. Its units patrol Lake Titicaca and the large rivers of the Amazon lowlands in the north.
- —The background Illegal gold mining has spread along the Beni river and its tributaries, near the Madidi National Park. Miners use mercury, which poisons rivers and the fish that local people eat.
- —Why now In an order reported on 30 September, Bolivia’s environmental court told the government to draw up a plan for mining-damaged rivers. The navy has carried out raids along the Beni since at least March.
- —What happened Navy units raided an illegal mining camp run by foreign nationals in the community of Chushuara Originaria, 95 kilometres upriver, the state news agency ABI reported on 1 October.
- —Who is who The raid involved the Beni river port authority, the Ballivián naval base, the mining regulator AJAM, park rangers and police. Machinery was confiscated and the workers were told to leave, La Patria reported.
- —What it means for you Mercury used in gold mining travels down rivers into the fish that riverside communities eat, says a report scientists handed Pope Leo XIV this week.
- —Still open Neither report says how many people were at the camp, which country they came from, or whether anyone faces charges.
Bolivia illegal mining raids continued this week, as navy units raided a camp run by foreigners on the Beni river. Machinery was confiscated and the operators were told to leave, La Patria reported on 1 October.
Meanwhile scientists from four Amazon countries, Bolivia among them, gave Pope Leo XIV a report on gold mining and mercury.
What the navy found
Personnel from the Río Beni port authority and the Ballivián naval base carried out the operation, ABI reported. Both belong to the navy’s First Naval District, known as Beni.
They worked with officials from AJAM, the state authority that grants and polices mining rights, as well as park rangers and police. The camp was in the community of Chushuara Originaria, 95 kilometres upriver.
Officers inspected a mining camp operated by foreign nationals, the agency said. Machinery and equipment used for mining were confiscated, and those working illegally were notified to leave, according to La Patria.
Neither report gives the date of the raid, the number of people present or their nationality. Neither mentions arrests or charges.
A pattern of raids on the Beni
This is not the first such operation this year. In March the navy and AJAM dismantled nine illegal camps where the Quendeque river meets the Beni, near Madidi National Park.
In that raid they disabled four excavators and seized mercury and borax, ABI reported. The armed forces put the damage to the miners’ logistics at about US$10 million.
In July, navy units walked for more than two days to reach the headwaters of the Tequeje river, inside Madidi. They destroyed five camps used for alluvial gold mining, causing damage of Bs 200,000 (about US$16,800), the navy said.
That conversion uses the central bank’s official rate of 11.90 bolivianos per US dollar for 2 October.
The report handed to the Pope
Researchers from Colombia, Bolivia, Peru and Brazil wrote the report, an “Appeal to the Holy See for the Protection of the Amazon”. Delegates met the Pope after a general audience at the Vatican, La Patria and the Peruvian daily La República reported.
The report includes work by Óscar Campanini, director of CEDIB, a Bolivian research and documentation centre. The Peruvian chapter came from CINCIA, an Amazon science centre in Peru.
In Peru, gold mining had destroyed 139,169 hectares of forest, an area larger than Los Angeles, by 2025, the report says. In Peru’s Madre de Dios region it releases about 180 tonnes of mercury a year.
A 2024 study of 439 people in two Peruvian river basins found 97 percent above safe mercury limits. Mercury from gold mining “does not stay at the mine,” said CINCIA co-founder Luis Fernández.
What comes next
In an order reported on 30 September, Bolivia’s environmental court ordered the government to present a plan for rivers damaged by gold mining. It also froze new mining contract applications in the zones it named.
One raid does not mean illegal mining on the Beni is under control; the navy has returned several times this year. A report to the Pope changes no law either.
The researchers hope his visit to Peru in November, including the Amazon city of Pucallpa, keeps attention on affected communities.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does landlocked Bolivia have a navy?
Bolivia lost its coast to Chile in the War of the Pacific (1879–1884) but kept a navy. Today it patrols Lake Titicaca and the big rivers of the Amazon lowlands, where it also takes part in raids against illegal mining.
What is AJAM?
AJAM is Bolivia’s mining authority. It grants and registers mining rights and takes part in operations against mining carried out without permission.
Why is mercury from gold mining dangerous?
Small-scale miners use mercury to bind gold. It escapes into rivers, builds up in fish and reaches the people who eat them; a 2024 study in Peru found 97 percent of 439 people tested above safe limits.
Sources: ABI (state news agency), navy raid on the Beni river, 1 October 2026, La Patria, navy raid at Chushuara Originaria, 1 October 2026, ABI, nine camps near the Quendeque river, 7 March 2026, ABI, five camps on the Tequeje river, 10 July 2026, La Patria, scientific delegation and Pope Leo XIV, 1 October 2026, La República (Peru), report to the Pope, 1 October 2026, CEDIB, announcement of the appeal (press release), 24 September 2026, Banco Central de Bolivia, official exchange rate for 2 October 2026. All retrieved 2 October 2026.
Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief · Editorial standards · Report an error
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