Brazil News Director David Biller, Latin America correspondent Joshua Goodman, freelance journalist Sam Cowie and photographer Andre Penner teamed up to expose those involved in Brazil's illegal gold trade, from the illicit mining on Indigenous lands to the global market.
Mining on Indigenous lands in Brazil is not new. Numerous stories have been done on the practice, detailing the environmental and cultural impact of the illegal gold mining. But the AP investigation went a step further, naming those involved in the practice and tracing how the precious mineral travels from the mines of Brazil to global brands.
For their widely read investigative stories, published in English, Spanish and Portuguese, Biller, Goodman and Cowie obtained dozens of documents and conducted interviews with prosecutors, federal law enforcement agents, miners and industry insiders.
Cowie and photographer Penner trekked hundreds of miles into the Amazon to report comprehensively on those engaged in the illegal mining and those involved in the illegal gold trade — a cross section of individuals and companies ranging from shady fly-by-night operators to legitimate businesses.
Planes and helicopters seized for allegedly being used in illegal gold mining activity are impound at the Federal Police headquarters in Boa Vista, Roraima state, Brazil, Nov. 3, 2021. In the northernmost state where all gold mining is illegal, the aircraft are essential for transport to far-flung Indigenous reserves.
AP Photo / Andre Penner
Indigenous people march to the entrance of the Chamber of Deputies in Brasilia to protest Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s proposals to allow mining on Indigenous lands, June 16, 2021. Bolsonaro’s administration introduced legislation that would open up Indigenous territories to mining — something federal prosecutors have called unconstitutional and activists warn would wreak vast social and environmental damages.
AP Photo / Eraldo Peres
Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro attends the launch of the Mining and Development Program, at the headquarters of the Ministry of Mines and Energy, in Brasilia, Sept. 28, 2020. Bolsonaro’s administration introduced legislation that would open up Indigenous territories to mining — something federal prosecutors have called unconstitutional and activists warn would wreak vast social and environmental damages.
AP Photo / Eraldo Peres
Men search for gold at an illegal gold mine in the Amazon jungle in the Itaituba area of Para state, Brazil, Aug. 21, 2020.
AP Photo / Lucas Dumphreys
A gold miner weighs his weekly production at an illegal mine in the Amazon jungle, in the Itaituba area of Para state, Brazil, Aug. 22, 2020. Nuggets are spirited out of the jungle by prospectors to the nearest city where they are sold to financial brokers.
AP Photo / Lucas Dumphreys
A Rio 2016 Olympic gold medal is displayed at the Olympic Park in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, July 20, 2016. The medals were billed as the most sustainable ever produced, but a review of public records by the AP found that the source or the minerals used, Sao Paulo-based company, Marsam Metais, has links to an intermediary accused by prosecutors of buying gold mined illegally on Indigenous lands and other areas deep in the Amazon rainforest.
AP Photo / David J. Phillip
Gold miners attend a public hearing at the Chamber of Deputies in Boa Vista, Brazil, Nov. 4, 2021. Members of the Association of Independent Prospectors of Roraima gathered for a public hearing to protest recent federal enforcement operations that destroyed mining equipment, during which a miner was shot and killed.
AP Photo / Andre Penner
Gold stores line a street in Boa Vista, Roraima state, Brazil, Nov. 5, 2021. Attempts to crack down on illegal mining in Roraima face fierce local resistance, despite the fact all mining in the state is illegal — a relatively new reality in the history of the state.
AP Photo / Andre Penner
An Indigenous woman wears a protective face mask as a precaution against COVID-19 during a protest at the Esplanade of Ministries in Brasilia, Brazil, April 20, 2021, against Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s proposals to allow mining on Indigenous lands.
AP Photo / Eraldo Peres
Among their findings: Brazil is investigating an air taxi company contracted by the country’s health mionistry that transports Indigenous people and medical equipment. The company is also suspected of using its planes to bring in prospectors and supplies for illegal mining.
And a thorough AP review of public records revealed that Marsam, a refinery that provided minerals for Brazil’s 2016 Olympic gold medals and now processes gold ultimately purchased by hundreds of well-known publicly traded U.S. companies — among them Microsoft, Tesla and Amazon — is linked to an intermediary accused by prosecutors of buying gold mined illegally on Indigenous lands and other areas deep in the Amazon rainforest. The illegal mining also happens under the noses of an international certification program used by manufacturers to show they aren’t using minerals that come from conflict zones.