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How gold surpassed cocaine as Peru’s most profitable criminal industry
As gold prices surge, illegal mining has laid waste to swathes of Tambopata National Reserve’s rainforest “Halt, stop right there,” shouts a Peruvian Navy Seal, firing warning shots into the air. But the fleeing man pays no attention, scrambling up to the rim of a football pitch-sized crater and disappearing into the dense rainforest as the commandos give chase, swearing and shooting. Meanwhile, other marines set…