Global Analysis on Crimes That Affect the Environment ? Part 2b: Minerals Crime: Illegal Gold Mining
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
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Abstract: This global analysis examines the growing risks of illegal gold mining and its convergence with organized crime, corruption, environmental degradation, and global supply chain disruptions. The report outlines the dynamics of gold supply and demand, mechanisms of money laundering, and involvement of organized crime groups (OCGs) in extraction and trafficking. It highlights the role of weak oversight, falsified permits, and trade discrepancies as enablers of illegal gold flows?often at the expense of local communities and ecosystems. The study also reviews the environmental consequences of mercury use, forest destruction, and unregulated waste, while offering policy recommendations on enforcement, due diligence, data transparency, and international cooperation. Though not country-specific, it provides regionally diverse case studies and institutional responses.