See What Happened After We Found a Cartel Mine on a Military Base

You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.

See What Happened After We Found a Cartel Mine on a Military Base

Officers denied that an illegal, large-scale gold operation was underway within earshot of their posts. But we had seen it with our own eyes.

Illegal mining in and near a military base in northwestern Colombia.

See What Happened After We Found a Cartel Mine on a Military Base

Officers denied that an illegal, large-scale gold operation was underway within earshot of their posts. But we had seen it with our own eyes.

Illegal mining in and near a military base in northwestern Colombia.

Credit...

Supported by

SKIP ADVERTISEMENT

Listen

· 5:20 min

Share full article

Visuals and Text by

Federico Rios

April 26, 2026

Updated

5:50 a.m. ET

Leer en español

It was during my third visit to La Mandinga, a gold mine controlled by a Colombian drug cartel, when I understood just how badly the institutions that are supposed prevent illegal mining had failed.

The mine abutted a Colombian military base. Weren’t people worried about operating under the noses of the authorities? After all, the mine supported the notorious Clan del Golfo cartel.

Hardly. One miner told me and my colleagues that the operation had even expanded beyond the military perimeter line and that workers were mining for gold directly on the base.

“Fly a drone and see,” the miner said.

So we did. The images were clear: Miners with high-pressure hoses were tearing up a forested area of the base, home to the Rifles Battalion 31, a Colombian military unit. We could see what appeared to be a former fence line — but no sign of a fence separating the base from La Mandinga. After we shared the images with the military and asked for comment, the base’s commander, Col. Daniel Echeverry, denied any gold mining was happening on his base.

Image

Miners working inside the perimeter of the base. The military denied this was happening.

Image

The mine’s diesel generators can be heard from the buildings on the base.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and

log into

your Times account, or

subscribe

for all of The Times.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access.

Already a subscriber?

Log in

.

Want all of The Times?

Subscribe

.

Related Content

Advertisement

SKIP ADVERTISEMENT