The International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) published a press release yesterday reporting on its operation called “Sanu”, carried out in West Africa. According to SourceAthe operation led to the arrest of 200 people involved in illegal gold panning, in four countries, including Senegal.
Operation “Sanu”, carried out between July and October 2024, led to the arrest of 200 people involved in illegal gold mining, indicates the Interpol press release, reported by SourceA. Four West African countries are affected by this “clean-up” operation in the illegal gold mining sector: Senegal, Gambia, Burkina Faso and Guinea.
According to SourceAthe Interpol press release also mentions the seizure of large quantities of products used for gold extraction, including 150 kilograms of cyanide, 325 kg of activated carbon, 14 bottles of mercury and 7,000 explosive devices. All this material has a catastrophic impact on the health of populations and the environment, as indicated SourceA. In addition to these seizures, 10 kg of cocaine and opioid pain tablets were also seized.
Interpol also highlighted the treatment of miners, who are often forced to consume opioids to cope with the pain caused by the use of chemicals like mercury and cyanide in small-scale gold mining, reports SourceA.
During the operation, significant quantities of chemicals and equipment used in illegal mining were seized, including cyanide, activated carbon, mercury, nitric and sulfuric acids, as well as nearly 2,000 pieces of equipment. explosives. SourceA points out that although Operation Sanu primarily targeted illegal gold mining, it also focused on illegal sand and gravel mining in The Gambia, specifically in the Kombo region. This is a first in the country. This activity, which threatens the environment and degrades the soil and local agriculture, has also allowed the authorities to better understand the organization of this extraction and this illicit trade, concludes the Interpol press release, reported by SourceA.
