The World is Running Out of Sand, and People Are Being Murdered Over It

One early morning, at around 2 AM, two Kenyan truck drivers were killed while loading sand onto their lorries. A group of local youths ambushed them, setting their trucks on fire and leaving the drivers burned beyond recognition. A third driver was also attacked and shot with arrows.

The reason for this attack, and many similar ones in the region, is a common substance that is now one of the 21st century's most important commodities: sand.

The sand mining industry in Kenya and Uganda is dominated by cartels, according to this article from the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF). These cartels operate with violence and intimidation, often receiving support from influential figures in the government.

According to findings from the agency:

"The cartels are predominantly male-run and heavily rely on child labor, often without safety measures. Women are pushed to the margins, working in roles such as selling food, doing laundry, or engaging in commercial sex work."

This dangerous and exploitative system thrives on the enormous profits from illegal sand trade. They operate like gangs, with multiple groups vying for control of the same sites.

The business is exceptionally lucrative: while it costs about $150 (20,000 shillings) to fill a ten-ton truck with sand, it can sell for over $1,000 (140,000 shillings), representing a return of more than 6 times the initial investment.

At such high profit margins, the trade can seem equivalent to printing money, especially given the scale of operations.

This criminal issue isn’t limited to East Africa either.

In 2008, similar cartels stole 500 truckloads of sand from a beach in Jamaica. The theft happened under cover of darkness, and the stolen sand was never recovered. Since then, sand thefts have been reported in the Caribbean, North Africa, and parts of India.

Who would have thought that the tiny grains in your beach towel could fuel an entire economy on the black-market?

Why are we running out of sand?

The idea of a sand shortage might seem odd, given that it is one of the most abundant materials on Earth.

However, this scarcity is largely driven by the booming construction industry, which relies heavily on sand for concrete.

Here’s a quote from this article explaining how that happens:

“Sand mining is the world’s largest extraction industry because sand is a key ingredient in concrete. The global construction industry has been soaring for decades, with up to 50 billion metric tons of sand used each year, according to a United Nations Environment Program report.

The only natural resource more widely consumed is water.?

A 2022 study from the University of Amsterdam found that we are excavating river sand faster than nature can replenish it. If current trends continue, we could run out of construction-grade sand by 2050. “

As demand outpaces supply, the rising value fuels illegal mining and draws the attention of criminal organizations.

The booming construction industry, driven by a growing global population, has created the perfect conditions for smugglers. These smugglers operate all over the world, and are often referred to as the 'sand-mafia'

Not all sand is created equal

Here’s something most people don’t realize: not all sand is the same. The kind used in construction is very different from the kind you find on deserts.

The construction industry specifically relies on coarse, angular sand (pictured below), typically found in riverbeds, beaches, and sea beds. Desert sand, by contrast, is too fine and round to be useful for making concrete.

Because of the high demand for this construction-grade sand, entire riverbeds in places like India, South East Asia, and North Africa are often stripped bare as massive quantities are extracted.

On the other hand, manufacturers and high-end resorts prefer soft, white sand (pictured below). As such, in parts of the Caribbean, pristine white sand beaches are illegally mined and transported to feed the global demand.

How dangerous is the sand-mafia?

The rise of the 'sand mafia' is a direct result of this intense global demand for the two types of sand.

US journalist Vince Beiser, author "The World In A Grain", says the sand-mafia has:

?“...literally murdered hundreds of people, including many journalists. One was burned to death recently, another hacked to death with machetes.”

"But it's not only journalists. It's also environmental activists, police officers, government officials — and that's not counting all the ones who have been threatened, who've been beaten up, who've been chased off their land."

In some regions, these criminal organizations are so powerful that they’ve been linked to violence, corruption, and even murder as they fight to control sand mining operations.

A legal loophole, and why sand theft isn’t always a crime

The fight against illegal sand mining faces a surprising and frustrating obstacle: in many places, stealing sand isn’t even considered a crime.

One of the core challenges is that, unless the sand is on private land, it’s not seen as "property" under the law in many regions.

This legal gray area creates a loophole for smugglers to exploit, as governments and lawmakers never anticipated that something as seemingly abundant and mundane as sand would become a lucrative commodity.

The idea of sand theft, in fact, seemed too far-fetched for many to regulate. It was a crime that didn’t make sense until it became an undeniable issue, wreaking havoc on local ecosystems, economies, and even human lives.

By the time the scope of the problem was fully realized, criminal organizations had already capitalized on this oversight, making it far more difficult to put effective regulations in place to stop them.

What do we do now?

It’s unsettling to think that something as seemingly harmless as sand could cause so much trouble, but the reality is both shocking and troubling.

The implications of the sand shortage extend well beyond the immediate violence and exploitation.

As the demand for construction-grade sand continues to rise and supplies diminish, construction costs are expected to increase, impacting the overall affordability of building projects.

This growing tension between an expanding global population and diminishing resources highlights a crucial need for innovation in sustainable alternatives.

With the world increasingly focused on greener practices and climate-conscious goals, it’s necessary that we develop and adopt more sustainable solutions to address the sand crisis.

As our population grows, so does the demand for sand. I suppose the challenge now is to navigate this rising need while striving for a future that balances progress with environmental stewardship.

P.S. If you’re interested in topics like this, I highly recommend checking out this YouTube video titled 'The World's Weirdest Mafia'. It’s both informative and entertaining!