Harley Sandoval, a Brazilian evangelical pastor, real estate agent, and mining entrepreneur, was arrested in July 2023 for illegally exporting 294 kilos of gold from Brazil’s Amazon region to the United States, Dubai, and Italy. The gold was allegedly sourced from a legal prospect in the northern state of Tocantins, but police said that not a single ounce of gold had been mined there since colonial times.
Using cutting-edge forensic technology, including satellite imagery and radio-isotope scans, the Brazilian Federal Police established that the exported gold did not come from the Tocantins prospect. Instead, it was dug up from three different wildcat mines in neighboring Pará, some of which were located on protected Indigenous reservation lands.
This case is one of the first in Brazil to use new technology to tackle clandestine gold trading, which is estimated to account for up to 40% of the country’s gold output. Illegal gold mining has surged in the Amazon rainforest, leading to environmental destruction and criminal violence.
The Brazilian government has launched a program called “Targeting Gold” to create a database of gold samples from across the country. The program uses radio-isotope scans and fluorescence spectroscopy to determine the unique composition of elements in the gold, allowing scientists to analyze “the DNA of Brazilian gold.”
The technology has helped to fuel an increase in gold seizures, with 38% more gold seized in 2023 compared to 2022. The government has also implemented new regulations, including mandatory electronic tax receipts for all gold trades and tightened monitoring of suspect transactions.
The surge in illegal gold mining began during the administration of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, who weakened environmental controls in the Amazon. The region is home to thousands of wildcat mines, many of which are operated by criminal organizations. The mines often leave behind contaminated waste and have brought violence and disease to Indigenous communities.
The Brazilian government is working to crack down on the illegal gold trade, which feeds the jewelry and watch industry in Switzerland, which buys 70% of Brazil’s exported gold. The government is also considering adopting the Brazilian gold analysis method to deal with its own illegal gold trade, and European governments have shown interest in the technology.