The Brazilian government is using advanced forensic technologies against illegal gold trade, which is believed to account for nearly half of the country’s output of this particular material. The Federal Police are employing cutting-edge tools in tandem with satellite imagery while they are making strides in tracking down illegal mining operations inside the Amazon.
The case in point here is that of Harley Sandoval, an evangelical pastor, and entrepreneur who is into mining, who was arrested in July 2023 for smuggling 294 kilos of gold allegedly to the United States, Dubai, and Italy. Officially, the source of the gold was in Tocantins, a northern state of Brazil. However, forensic examination proved that it was sourced from the illegal mines of Pará, located on some reservation lands for Indigenous people.
Illegal mining has mushroomed across the Amazon, causing environmental destruction and increased violence. The new “Targeting Gold” program by the Federal Police is critical in identifying and seizing illegally mined gold. Scientists can use radio-isotope scans and fluorescence spectroscopy to analyze unique impurities, such as dirt or traces of other metals, embedded in the gold to determine their origin.
Humberto Freire, head of the Environment and Amazon Department, described the technique as finding “the DNA of Brazilian gold.” This innovation, combined with stricter regulations introduced by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has seen a 38% increase in gold seizures in 2023 compared to the same period last year.
Despite all this, the going is not easy. Sandoval has dismissed these allegations by stating that one cannot track gold once it is melted. The country’s central bank and its police forces continue to exercise strict controls that suppress the unlawful activities that are on the brink of destroying the Amazon.
Improved enforcement and scientific ingenuity are giant strides to ensure Brazil protects its natural resources and illegal gold trading.
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