Dirty Gold

“[A] shocking true crime epic…show[s] how a criminal enterprise can thrive with a product where melting can erase all traces of origin easier than documents can be forged. This is a must-read for fans of Matthew Hart’s Diamonds and Roberto Saviano’s ZeroZeroZero.”

“An authoritative consideration of “dirty” gold’s grip on the environment and role in rampant geopolitical corruption.”

“[An] engrossing account with a cast of picaresque characters ... [that] tells the full story of how unethically mined ('artisanal') gold makes it from shanty camps like La Pampa in southern Peru — a Stygian hellhole of brothels, child labor and violence — through the global supply chain to become jewelry or part of the motherboard in your smartphone.”

“A fascinating deep dive into the most primal elements of human greed. Dirty Gold breaks new ground in more ways than one: as an expose on South America’s illicit gold trade, as an international cops and robbers caper, and as a rip roaring tale of avarice that reads like an upscale version of The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. Amazing. Do yourself a favor: get this book and read it.”

“Dirty Gold is a jaw-dropping true story of illegal gold mining that exposes its devastating ecological impact on developing nations in Latin America and a complex web of corruption and money laundering worth billions in the US. Gold is both recession-proof and easily melted down, leaving no trace of its lineage, and Dirty Gold offers a rare and exciting window into a criminal underworld that is the wild west of gold.”

“An engaging narrative…a fascinating story peppered with colorful characters.”

“The best account I’ve ever read on Latin America’s massive illegal gold underworld. Fascinating, fast-paced, it documents the wild west of the gold industry, filled with memorable characters. It reminds us of the terrible toll this clandestine business takes on the environment, tearing up rain forests to satisfy the world’s endless thirst for the precious metal. Dirty Gold reads like a thriller.”

“Leaping from the glitz and glamor of South Beach to the muddy jungles of South America’s most impoverished corners, Dirty Gold takes us on a fascinating, meticulously researched excursion deep into the underbelly of the global gold trade, where almost nothing appears to be on the level and everyone is out for themselves. Studded with unforgettable characters and told with the brisk tension of a thriller, the authors reveal the true, very human cost of all that glitters.”

“Criss-crossing the world from glitzy Miami to the remote jungle lands of Peru, Dirty Gold exposes the dark underbelly of the illegal precious metals business. A must-read for anyone trying to understand gold’s role as a pivotal spoke in the global money laundering wheel.”

“A fascinating story about one of the world’s biggest, and least talked about, illegal businesses. It reads like a thriller!”

“An astonishing read -- full of corruption, greed, strong drink and stronger language -- that reveals the rotten heart of the global economy.”

“By tracking the complex web of money launderers, drug traffickers, and big money corporations who have exploited America’s demand for gold, these journalists exposed how this brutal trade is poisoning workers, polluting rainforests, and creating a human trafficking pipeline. This is investigative journalism at its finest.”

“For years, doomsday profiteers have pushed gold as a smart hedge against the coming apocalypse, but where is all that metal coming from? This deeply reported book connects Conquistadors to drug cartels to Miami real estate to the Peruvian Amazon—revealing a greed-fueled global gold trade so rotten, it makes Fred C. Dobbs look wholesome."

“An eye-opening, compulsively readable investigation…This is journalism and crime writing at its very best and most essential.”