May 14, 2025 – 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. ET (Washington)
Moderator: Will Freeman, Council on Foreign Relations
Speakers:
- Julia Yansura, FACT Coalition
- Joseph Poliszuk, Armando.Info
- Arturo Torres, Código Vidrio
Rising gold prices have supercharged the metal’s role in the illicit economy in recent years, becoming a financial engine for authoritarian regimes and organized criminal organizations. On May 14, FACT hosted two award-winning environmental journalists for a panel discussion exposing how illegal mining and dirty money drive deforestation, corruption, and human exploitation.
Illegal gold mining in South America has exploded in the past decade, especially in the Amazon basin. Armed groups and criminal networks control vast informal mining zones throughout the Amazon region. These operations destroy forests, pollute rivers, and displace Indigenous communities. This event highlighted the need for shared intelligence across borders and sectors, and discussed the ways in which U.S law enforcement, investigators, and civil society can respond to the presence of illegal gold in our financial system.