In 2021, 15 people were arrested for their role in illegal gold mining in the rural area of Llano Gordo de Dabeiba (Antioquia). The illegal mining activity caused serious environmental harm due to the lack of control measures and indiscriminate dumping of toxic waste – including dangerous chemical substances such as sodium cyanide and zinc – in the Quiparadó River. This resulted in the loss of the topsoil and subsoil in at least six square hectares. Alongside the illegal waste dumping, the investigation revealed that it the activity was generating $3 billion COP (approximately $750,000 USD) a month to the ‘Clan del Golfo’ – a neo-paramilitary group and Colombia’s largest drug cartel – who allegedly demanded money to allow the operation to continue and the gold to be exported.