Costa Rica launched a demolition operation on Wednesday using controlled explosives to destroy tunnels and structures used for illegal gold extraction in the mountainous Crucitas District, located in San Carlos Canton, northern Alajuela Province, according to the Ministry of Public Security (MSP).

Authorities said the operation began with the controlled detonation of explosives and the destruction of 34 tunnels. The goal is to dismantle infrastructure built by individuals involved in illegal gold mining.

“This operation aims to destroy the infrastructure used for illegal mining,” Public Security Minister Mario Zamora said. “The explosions are carried out with dynamite in a controlled and safe manner inside the tunnels.”

Zamora said the effort also included police deployments on the surface, perimeter security, patrols, and controlled incursions at strategic points.

As part of the operation, police seized equipment used by the miners, as well as sacks containing chemical materials associated with mining activity.

 

No individuals were found in the area during the demolition work, and no suspects connected to illegal mining were arrested.

The operation includes the ministry’s specialized explosives units, officers from the Special Intervention Unit (UEI), and the Operational Unit for Weapons and Explosives.

So far in 2025, police have detained more than 5,000 suspects for illegal mining in the Crucitas region, seized more than 170 tons of extracted mining material, confiscated 132 vehicles, and captured large amounts of tools used by miners.

Authorities said the demolition effort will continue until all tunnels and structures built for gold extraction in the area are destroyed.

Illegal gold mining in the Crucitas zone began around 2010, after Costa Rica’s Legislative Assembly banned open-pit mining.

The ban came shortly after the annulment of a mining agreement between Costa Rica and Canadian company Infinito Gold.

The contract, awarded in 2008 under former President and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Óscar Arias Sánchez, would have allowed gold mining across more than 260 hectares in Crucitas, including over 190 hectares of primary forest that would have been cleared to develop the project.

The proposal sparked controversy due to the threat to protected forest areas. Following intense mobilization by environmentalists and political figures, Costa Rica’s courts voided the Infinito Gold agreement in 2010, citing environmental concerns and irregularities in the permitting process.

In 2014, an international tribunal ruled in favor of Costa Rica in a $395 million dispute with Infinito Gold over the project’s cancellation.

Since the dispute began in 2010, illegal miners have continued extracting gold from the Crucitas region.

Police are urging residents to report any suspicious illegal mining activity to 911.

The MSP is the government organization responsible for maintaining public order, training police units, and coordinating national anti-crime efforts.