Ecuador cracks down on illegal mining In a desolate area of Ecuador's northern Andes, dozens of electricity generators are cordoned off by yellow crime scene tape as armed security forces keep watch. A month ago, 2,400 police and military personnel descended on La Merced de Buenos Aires in the mountains just north of the capital Quito to put a stop to indiscriminate illegal gold mining in the area.\\n IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES