Recently, Brazilian police have discovered and announced evidence that large technology companies are the biggest buyers of smuggled gold in this country.
Brazilian police have accused an Italian metal smelting company, Chimet, of illegally buying and selling gold in the Amazon jungle. According to the research, the names of major American technology companies such as Amazon, Apple, Microsoft and Alphabet (the parent company of Google) can be seen in the list of the biggest buyers of this illegal gold.
These technology companies usually use small amounts of gold in the circuits of their electronic products. Also, the Federal Police of Brazil has accused the Chimet company of buying millions of dollars of gold from a business called CHM do Brasil. Police documents show that this businessman also buys from miners illegally.
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Big tech companies are the biggest buyers of smuggled gold
According to the data and information of the Brazilian police, in the list of suppliers of four American technology companies, namely Amazon, Apple, Microsoft and Alphabet, Chimet has had a steady and strong presence as one of the hundreds of gold suppliers they need in the last five years.
Since Chimet acquires gold illegally, these US tech giants have also been buying illegal gold and may face convictions.
In response to this news, Apple announced in a statement that it will ban the use of illegally mined minerals and remove companies that do not meet the standards from its supply chain. However, this company did not specifically mention the illegal company Chimet.
According to available evidence, in recent years, the legalization of mining on indigenous lands has increased illegal gold mining. Brazil’s right-wing president Jair Bolsonaro, who came to power in 2019, was the first to support the legalization of mining on indigenous lands. As a result, illegal mining activities increased in Brazil.
Unfortunately, these illegal mines have destroyed the lands of the Amazon forest and polluted the river water with toxic and deadly mercury. In addition, the conflict between illegal miners and indigenous tribes is another problem that has arisen as a result of the legalization of mining from indigenous lands.
Brazil’s intelligence agency estimates that in the first two years of Bolsonaro’s presidency, the country produced 84 tons of illegal gold. This amount, which is equivalent to half of the total gold produced in Brazil, has increased by 23% compared to the last two years. The police investigation continues regarding Chimet’s illegal activities in this country. However, so far there has been no official statement from US producers that they have bought illegal gold from Brazil.
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Source: gizchina