Illegal quarry shut down in Las Lomas

An illegal quarry which has been in operation for over a year in a forested area in Las Lomas was shut down on Wednesday by representatives of the Ministry of Energy.

Police officers, accompanied by two representatives of the Commissioner of State Lands, raided the quarry on Wednesday morning. They were responding to complaints by residents of the area.

Five trucks, four of them already loaded with red sand, and an excavator were working at the site.

The Ministry of Energy, which approves mining licences, was called in because survey maps showed the quarry was on private land and hence not under the jurisdiction of the Commissioner of State Lands.

None of the workers at the site could produce a licence to operate the quarry, which is being run by A&A Contracting Ltd.