Thousands of tons of gold extracted in South America are disguised as legitimate, through various obscure production and commercialization mechanisms, to be exported to the world’s largest refineries. These are the operations of a million-dollar industry that adapts and changes to exploit a failed oversight system in the producer countries. Having analyzed thousands of data and visited several mining enclaves in the Amazon, Andes and on the coast of Peru, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador and Brazil, a group of close to 20 journalists identified a complex system of mass laundering and diverting of gold. Between 2013 and 2023 these five countries exported over 3,000 tons of unknown origin, in addition to destroying ecosystems and displacing indigenous peoples and communities in remote areas, which are seized by armed groups taking advantage of the absence of local authorities. International companies sign “due diligence” guidelines, but the dirty metal continues to flow into the global economy without any consequences. This has been revealed by the investigative series “Golden opacity: mechanisms on the traffic of Latin American gold”, a project led by Convoca.pe with the participation of investigative journalism outlets and organizations from five South American countries.
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