The National Mine Safety Administration recently screened and published four typical cases of cracking down on illegal and regulatory violations in non-coal mines. The cases, located in Sichuan, Qinghai, Xinjiang, and Guizhou, involve serious illegal production and construction by mining enterprises, with relevant responsible persons transferred to public security departments.
The first case occurred in Sichuan. On March 6, 2026, regulatory inspectors found that an iron mine had provided maps seriously inconsistent with underground conditions, arranged cross-cut and exploration tunnels beyond its mining rights, and used temporary seals to hide mining faces, constituting illegal mining beyond boundaries. The Emergency Management Bureau of Yanyuan County ordered a shutdown for rectification and imposed fines in accordance with the Safety Production Law, and transferred clues of suspected illegal activities by the actual controller to the Yanyuan County Public Security Bureau.
In the Qinghai case, an inspection on March 27, 2026, found that an iron mine in Dulan County had arranged two mining fields beyond the scope of its safety production license. The problems were handed over, and the Dulan County Emergency Management Bureau verified on April 15, 2026, that the violations were true. It ordered a shutdown and imposed fines on the enterprise, its legal representative, and the mine manager. Clues related to the legal representative and chief engineer were transferred to the Dulan County Public Security Bureau.
For the Xinjiang case, a joint inspection from March 30 to April 1, 2026, found that a gold mine in Hami City had illegally mined in old goaves on three levels from April to December 2025. The Hami Emergency Management Bureau suspended its safety production license for three months, ordered a shutdown, and fined the enterprise and five responsible persons. The actual controller's clues were transferred to the Yizhou District Branch of the Hami Public Security Bureau.
The Guizhou case dates back to 2025. A spot check on a zinc mine in Guiding County on July 8-9, 2025, found that safety facility designs were not approved, the 'three major' systems were not established, tunnel maps did not match reality, hot work was not approved, and responsible persons knowingly organized risky operations despite major hazards. The Qiannan Emergency Management Bureau verified and ordered a shutdown, corrections within a deadline, and fines. Clues about the production mine manager and project production team leader were transferred to the Qiannan Public Security Bureau.
All the published cases implemented the connection between administrative law enforcement and criminal justice, sending a strong deterrent against illegal activities.