Curated Collections

Free trade zones (FTZs) are vulnerable to illicit trade; despite many governments and zone operators taking steps to mitigate these vulnerabilities, they remain especially acute in trading operations of specific goods. One of these is gold. High-risk gold originating in Latin America and the Caribbean is often laundered within the region before advancing to destination markets. This report examines the risks and vulnerabilities linked to financial crimes in gold trade through FTZs, focusing in particular on Colombia, Panama and the Dominican Republic.

The growing demand for minerals amplifies risks of crime, corruption and supply chain instability. A global push for renewable energy technologies like electric cars and wind turbines brings benefits for the environment and economic opportunities for countries along the supply chain. With this increase in demand, the pressure on mining operations worldwide will intensify, potentially intensifying existing problems, such as corruption, which plays a key role in facilitating minerals crimes. These crimes not only undermine legitimate businesses, but also fuel other criminal activities, such as trafficking in persons, forced labour and

This study examines illicit financial flows (IFF) associated with the ASGM sector in Ghana and Liberia and reveals a complex web of informal and illicit activity associated with IFFs, with detrimental consequences for development. It focuses on gold because of its prominence in the West African Region and artisanal small-scale mining (ASM), rather than large-scale mining (LSM). 

Research covered multiple countries, providing insights into national and regional market dynamics and trade flows. The cross-border regional dynamics of illicit gold supply chains means examination of this issue requires applying a wide lens. South Sudan, Uganda, Kenya and Zimbabwe were selected for field research, with some limited research conducted in South Africa.

This report captures and synthesizes Pact’s findings, focusing on the economic and political drivers that enable—or in some cases incentivize—Zimbabweans to participate in illicit finance across mining, energy, agriculture, transport and health. The report also offers recommendations for how to continue the push for responsive governance in Zimbabwe and beyond.

This policy brief examines the changes that have emerged concerning Venezuela as a regional destination for illicit gold and how intersections with US policy and action may impact illicit gold markets in Venezuela and the wider Western Hemisphere.

A new report from WWF and Themis traces how high-risk minerals—including gold, cobalt, coltan, and rare earths—move through opaque, multi-jurisdictional supply chains that are hard to monitor and vulnerable to criminal exploitation. 

This paper provides an opportunity to study the drivers of ASM’s exposure to capture by criminal and armed actors, the consequences of acting on the wrong assumptions or failing to act at all, and the shared responsibility to ensure that rising demand for gold does not deepen conflict but instead supports more just outcomes.