The macabre discovery has left Peruvians in shock. On Sunday, May 4, 13 miners were found dead at the bottom of a gold mine in Pataz, naked, blindfolded and with their hands and feet bound. They are the latest victims of the surge in violence and insecurity linked to the expansion of organized crime.

Photographs of bodies wrapped in plastic bags, lined up in a narrow tunnel, along with videos of the executions circulating on social media, have deeply shocked the nation. The Andean country has been plagued for months by a wave of crime, with a rise in score-settling and extortion. Violence has claimed more than 720 lives since the beginning of 2025, particularly in large cities including Lima, the capital, where several districts have been under a state of emergency since March 17.

The murdered miners, aged 22 to 40, worked as security agents for a subcontractor of the company Poderosa, one of Peru's major gold producers. They were kidnapped on April 26 and then executed. Some bore signs of torture, and all had bullet wounds at the nape of the neck.

The unpopular interim president, Dina Boluarte, announced a curfew in the Pataz district, militarization and a 30-day halt on mining activities in the area. The La Libertad region produces nearly one-third of Peru's gold, making it one of the world's leading producers. Although it has declined, gold remains the country's second-largest export mineral after copper. According to the NGO CooperAccion, which specializes in mining issues, 44% of exported gold is of illegal origin or from the informal sector.

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