Ghost Permits Drive Billions in Illegal Amazon Gold Despite Brazil Crackdown

May 29, 2026

Mintesinot Nigussie

An estimated 26.8 metric tons of gold worth about 3.88 billion US dollars were traded using falsified documentation tied to inactive mining sites in the Amazon rainforest, according to a study by Greenpeace that highlights the persistence of illegal extraction networks in Brazil.

The findings are based on an analysis of 187 forest areas where gold mining permits had been issued by Brazil’s mining agency ANM near Indigenous territories and protected regions, with 98 of those sites showing no evidence of actual mining activity.

Greenpeace said permits from these inactive zones were being used as “ghost permits” to legitimise gold originating from illegal extraction, effectively allowing illicit material to enter formal supply chains.

Rising global gold prices, driven by geopolitical instability, have strengthened incentives for continued illegal mining activity, according to the study.

Brazilian authorities have stepped up seizures, with Federal Police confiscating a record 447 kilograms of illegally mined gold in the past year.

The report comes against the backdrop of policy commitments made by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who assumed office in 2023 and pledged to eliminate illegal mining on Indigenous lands and protected areas.