Gold trafficking in Latin America is proving to be more lucrative than drug trafficking for criminal organizations. With prices skyrocketing to over $3,000 an ounce in early 2025, criminal networks are increasingly diving into illegal gold mining.
Julia Yansura, an expert on environmental crime and illicit finance with the FACT Coalition, broke down the issue for InSight Crime. According to Yansura, organized crime has seized on the soaring price of gold and its discreteness (in comparison to cash) as an opportunity to fund everything from arms purchases to laundering drug money.
