Cross‑Border Investigation Exposes Gold Smuggling Route Through Venezuela

A Mongabay investigation shows that high gold prices have driven illegal mining in the Amazon, prompting criminal groups to shift from Brazil’s tightened controls to a laundering route through Venezuela. Journalists from Colombia, Ecuador and Peru collaborated to document the trade, combining field reporting, satellite imagery and legal records. Investigations editor Daniela Quintero, who coordinates Mongabay’s Nature Crimes Fellowship, led the effort, highlighting how environmental crimes cross national borders. The study details how gold is smuggled into Venezuela, laundered, and then exported overseas, revealing a loophole that undermines Brazil’s regulatory tightening.