Police in Peru Burn Down Illegal Gold Mining Town

According to a recent report from mining.com, police in Peru burned down an entire town that housed workers at an illegal gold operation.
As quoted in the publication:

The unprecedented operation, El Telégrafo reports (in Spanish), involved nearly 900 police officers and armed helicopters, which main mission was to eradicate 55 illegal mining settlements in the Peruvian jungle.

The action triggered severe criticism, with many are accusing authorities of an excessive use of public force. But the illegal mining commissioner, Antonio Fernandez, says these operations will continue. “We have to keep doing this until these criminals understand that what they do is illegal,” he told the newspaper, adding that illegal mining usually goes hand in hand with other criminal activities, such as child labour and prostitution.

Click here for the full mining.com article.