China Busts Illegal Rare Earth Mining Operations

MineWeb reported that two separate illegal rare earth mining operations were raided in China, in the Lianping and Longchuan counties. A total of 1,000 tonnes of illegally mined and processed rare earths were recovered, and 50 arrests were made.

As quoted in the report:

The mines are spread across a large area in Guangdong, which makes them difficult to monitor for illegal activities, especially since illegal mining and smuggling of rare earths generate high profits, said Xiao Fangming, director of the Guangzhou Research Institute of Non-Ferrous Minerals.

Click here to read the full MineWeb report.