D-ISN: TRACK 1: Understanding and Disrupting Key Convergence Nodes of the Illicit Gold and Mercury Supply Chains in Latin America and Africa

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This Disrupting Operations of Illicit Supply Networks (D-ISN) award will enhance national health, prosperity and welfare by contributing to a better understanding of illicit supply chains and the ability to detect, disrupt, and disable them. The project involves an examination and comparison of key convergence nodes in the global supply chains for illicit gold and mercury in Latin America and Africa. It specifically focuses on Peru and Kenya because of the similar characteristics they share on their respective continents as important trading hubs to other regional markets via both air and maritime transport, as well as acting as trading hubs for other illicit commodities and goods. In addition, both countries have significant artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) sectors, that often operate at sites of informal gold production where the illicit gold supply chain begins and that use mercury to extract gold from the ore, representing the end of the mercury supply chain. This provides an opportunity for comparative analysis across two continents. One major challenge in Peru is that there are no organized records of illicit activities related to the gold and mercury supply chains, which presents difficulties in making decisions to combat them. Additionally, Kenya has not been thoroughly examined as an emerging hub for illicit gold in East Africa, especially gold from the ASGM sector originating from the DRC. Furthermore, actors from around the world are involved in the gold and mercury supply chains, and the micro problems in Peru and Kenya have global implications, including some that directly bear upon the national security of the United States. A more thorough understanding of the ways in which the illicit gold and mercury supply chains operate will support policy and enforcement interventions that target illicit actors without unduly harming vulnerable communities. This research will advance knowledge of the illicit gold and mercury supply chains in Peru and Kenya, the international destinations of this gold, and the origins of the mercury entering the countries. It seeks to fill a knowledge gap raised in recent research coordinated by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN): the co-dependency between the mercury and gold supply chains. Our interdisciplinary team with expertise in engineering, social science, computer science, and law will map the routes of gold from inland sites to major export hubs and the routes of mercury from major import hubs to inland mining sites. Particular emphasis will be placed on the maritime and air dynamics of the gold and mercury supply chains by focusing on the major convergence nodes, or collection points, transshipment hubs, and actors through which the illicit mercury and gold supply chains flow and intersect. This research expands the methodologies used to evaluate and understand illicit supply chains, by collating publicly available data, such as surveillance platform data and conducting ethnographic fieldwork with artisanal and small-scale gold miners and community members, other operators in the gold and mercury trades, and sources in security, law enforcement, and regulatory enforcement. By combining these data with a graph analytics approach, we will develop models that identify patterns transnationally and can help to disrupt both the illicit gold and mercury supply networks, as well as make connections with other types of illicit activities occurring and connected to global supply chain networks. This project will train STEM graduate students in interdisciplinary research methodologies, expose them to the complexities of mineral supply chains, provide them with tools to better understand these supply chains, and allow them to work with faculty, students, and collaborators from different disciplines. This research represents a concerted effort to leverage existing and emerging technologies, such as machine learning and advanced data analytics, to inform public policy not only in the targeted countries but also in other states facing related challenges.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.