By DAN MOLINSKI

BOGOTA—Colombia says it aims to put an end to illegal mining of the prized mineral coltan as drug traffickers and other well-armed, criminal groups emerge as key players in the activity.

President Juan Manuel Santos traveled during the weekend to Colombia's southeastern Amazon jungle, where much of the illegal coltan mining takes place. He said in a statement that to prevent unauthorized mining of the "highly valued" coltan and other minerals, the government may order a large part of the region to be declared a "strategic reserve for national security reasons."

Coltan, a dull black mineral, is used as a conductor in all kinds of electronic products, such as videogames to cellphones and electric cars. It is especially useful in keeping electronic products functioning properly even in extremely hot or cold temperatures. Prices for coltan have periodically spiked to more than $200 a pound, but recent estimates put the price at about $50 a pound. Much of the buying and selling is done on black markets.

Each year, some 900 tons of coltan are produced world-wide, with most coming from Central Africa, where it is considered a "conflict mineral," since profits from coltan mines are frequently used to fund armed groups engaged in bloody civil wars there.

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Coltan stones.

Outside of Africa, Australia and Brazil are also important producers. But a recent report and documentary from the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists warn that coltan production is now spreading to places such as Venezuela and Colombia, and that while production is still low in these countries, the threat is that as output grows, it could become a "conflict mineral" that could be a source of funding for many armed groups in and around the Amazon region.

In 2009, Venezuela President Hugo Chávez announced the discovery of a "big reserve" of coltan and immediately militarized the area to prevent illegal mining.

In Colombia, the government geology institute Ingeominas has estimated Colombia has about 5% of the world's total reserves of coltan, but it didn't give precise figures.

Santos said Colombia hopes to work with Brazil in battling illegal coltan mining.

Colombia Mines and Energy Minister Mauricio Cardenas acknowledged in a Twitter message Sunday that coltan mining in Colombia is currently controlled by "shady interests," but said stepped-up policing and planned new regulations will put a stop to the activity.

In recent years, armed groups in Colombia such as the Marxist rebel force FARC have allegedly become heavily involved in various mining ventures, including gold and silver mining, to help fund their interests.

The control of coltan trade in Colombia, however, has become problematic for authorities as it is concentrated mostly in extremely isolated southeast corners of the country, near the borders with Venezuela and Brazil. As such, authorities say many of the gangs are easily able to slip across another country's border to evade capture.

The government eventually aims to allow legal mining firms to bid for the rights to mine for coltan and other "strategic minerals," a Mines and Energy Ministry official said Monday.

In 2010, the previous Colombia administration under former President Alvaro Uribe also announced plans to auction off areas to permit coltan mining, but those plans were never completed.