Greenpeace Study: Ghost Permits Help Launder Amazon Gold

Illegal gold mining in the Brazilian Amazon continues despite President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s promise to crack down on the practice, according to a Greenpeace study. The group said miners are using so-called ghost permits to legalize gold and conceal its true origin.

Greenpeace examined 187 areas with gold mining permits near Indigenous territories and protected zones. In 98 cases, it found no signs of actual mining. Those permits were nevertheless used in the sale of 26.8 metric tons of gold, worth an estimated $3.88bn, between 2018 and March 2026.

The findings were supported by a Reuters investigation. Journalists found no activity during a flyover of two sites registered as active mines, but observed extensive illegal mining in a protected area only a few minutes away by air.

Experts suspect that much of the gold legalized in this way comes from Indigenous territories, including an area inhabited by the Kayapó people in Pará state. Community leaders have warned of environmental devastation, mercury pollution in rivers and health risks for local residents.

Brazil’s National Mining Agency (ANM) said it was investigating the suspicious permits, but acknowledged that policing the vast Amazon region was extremely difficult. Greenpeace warned that illegal mining would continue to grow as long as gold can be laundered through formally valid permits.

(reuters, max)