This archive report was first published on 1 September 2019.
September 1, 2019, marked the release of a shocking episode of 'The Weekly,' a documentary series that exposed the dark truth behind the gold trade in Colombia. The episode, titled 'Apple's Gold,' revealed how the precious metal has replaced cocaine as the main source of income for organized crime in the region.
According to the report, the growing demand for gold as a conductive metal used in phones and other electronic products has fueled a deadly illegal trade that's harder to track than other black-market commodities like blood diamonds or drugs.
Correspondent Nicholas Casey traveled to Colombia to investigate the gold tainted by criminal enterprises and discovered a route from illegal Colombian mines to the source that Apple and other major companies use to buy metals to make phones and other products.
Casey's investigation revealed that violent paramilitary groups have infiltrated every level of the supply chain, extorting prospectors, gold traders, and some of the country's top mining officials.
As a result, the gold used in many of our phones and electronic devices may have originated from illegal mines in Colombia, where workers are subjected to harsh conditions and violence.
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