A new report from the NGO Environment Investigation Agency (EIA) claims that Mexico’s Cartel Jalisco New Generation (CJNG) is trafficking mercury to South America for its use in gold refining. The report comes just weeks after suspected CJNG gunmen stole more than 33 tons of gold concentrate from a mining company along a highway in Jalisco.
In their report Toxic Tons: Traffickers Leave No Stone Unturned, the EIA followed the trail of mercury from central Mexico to South America, where it is used in illegal mining operations. The group claims that the use of mercury for gold mining is a significant environmental polluter, as the mineral is mixed with gold and then exposed to high temperatures during the refining process.
The report highlights a recent takeover of mercury mining operations in central Mexico by alleged members of the Cartel Jalisco New Generation and urges the Mexican government to intervene. The information points to yet one more trafficking business being tied to CJNG, which has been labelled as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. government earlier this year.
Since the terrorist designation went into effect, Mexico’s top security officials have been pushing a public relations strategy where they embellish raids and operations to give the appearance of fighting drug cartels. However, as Breitbart Texas has reported, drug bosses continue to operate throughout Mexico with almost complete impunity.
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