Mastermind of gold smuggling ring faces serious penalties after investigators track down mining operation: 'We have to step up the fight'
A sprawling criminal operation smuggling illegal gold from the Brazilian Amazon into Venezuela is making headlines and drawing renewed calls for action.
As reported by Mongabay, Brazilian authorities recently uncovered an elaborate gold trafficking network that bypassed increased domestic enforcement by laundering gold abroad. The organization, known as Flygold, allegedly trafficked at least 1 ton of gold in just over a year — hidden in thermoses, carried in suitcases, and even flown out by private jets.
At the center of it all was Adriano Aguiar de Castro, long known to investigators as a master of gold laundering. He's now accused of coordinating the collection and shipment of illegal gold from mining hot spots such as Pará to Venezuela's capital, where it was likely funneled to companies with ties to international tech supply chains.
This new strategy of laundering gold across borders underscores how enforcement in one country can push illegal operations into others. "We can see very clearly that the sector has been restructured," said Raoni Rajão, a researcher at Minas Gerais Federal University. "The laundering of this ore may be taking place outside the country, in places with more lenient legislation."
Illegal gold mining has had a devastating impact on the Amazon. Beyond deforestation, it has contaminated rivers with mercury and put Indigenous communities at risk.
Brazil has fought back with new digital invoice rules and tighter border controls. Gold exports have dropped 29%, and mining activity in the Amazon has slowed. But with smuggling routes growing more sophisticated and crossing into organized crime territory, experts say stronger international cooperation is essential.
"This gold is coming out from another corner," said Rodrigo Magalhães de Oliveira of Brazil's Federal Public Ministry. "We have to step up the fight."
To protect the Amazon and the people who depend on it, experts say both policymakers and buyers must act. Stricter international gold-tracking regulations, stronger sourcing policies from tech companies, and better consumer awareness can help stop dirty gold from quietly entering the global supply chain.
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