Peru crackdown on illegal gold leads to new smuggling routes

Police officers prepare to destroy illegal excavators near the Pampa Blanca lagoon in Ananea district at Peru's Andean region of Puno November 12, 2013. REUTERS/Enrique Castro-Mendivil

LIMA (Reuters) - A crackdown on illegal gold mining in Peru has spawned new smuggling routes through its porous border with Bolivia with some gangs using human mules, armoured cars and light aircraft to evade capture.

The gold is ghosted across jungles, rainforest and Lake Titicaca on the mountainous border, and is then sold to dealers who process the precious metal for export out of Bolivia's capital La Paz, Peruvian officials say.