Sadly, the problem is not new, the area of Crucitas in the North Zone of Costa Rica continues to be exploited by illegal gold miners who have caused incredible environmental damage.

The area has suffered environmental damages since 2012 as a result of a failed mining project; back then, the damages were estimated in close to 10 million dollars mainly as a result of logging.

The presence of gold panners is not unusual in this area, and despite the efforts of the authorities Nicaraguans and Costa Ricans continue to reappear as organized groups that enter to extract gold.

According to information one of these men offered in an interview with Channel 7, they sell one gram of gold for 25 thousand colones (approximately $44.00) and on a daily basis a group of maybe 5 people can extract 4 or 5 grams.

The exact number of gold panners is unknown, but there are many. The Frontier Police does not have the necessary resources to control this problem. The groups have people located in different areas whose only job is to give the alert when they spot the police presence.

The environmental damages in the area are considered irreversible by experts.

“We are not just talking about environmental damages, but also social damages, since we could be talking about contamination in both frontiers, since the river basins in the area are directed to the San Juan River, the chemicals being used by the panners could be contaminating the San Juan River, situation that could also cause problems among both countries”, commented environmentalist Alvaro Sagot in an interview with Channel 7.

Authorities have also linked many of the illegal gold panners to crimes in the area.