In the form of mafia organizations, Roma groups prey on the illegal gold market, stealing jewelery and houses and funneling the gold to mobsters or money-traffickers.
ANT1 brings to light the workings of the circuits and reveals the underground routes of the precious metal that bring huge profits.
But what are the routes of illegal gold and how is it bought and sold?
- The streets of illegal gold:
- Thieves give it to illegal foundries (Roma, mobsters, etc.)
- The Roma melt them, send them to Turkey, the Balkans, etc.
- They return to gold bars
- They are bought by illegal circuits
But where can the illegal gold bars be used?
The mafia is paid with illegal gold
- Drug trade
- Arms trade
- Trafficking in women, children
- Illegal human trafficking
As the president of Athens Silversmiths, Mr. Kevork Kolanian, says speaking to ANT1, illegal gold is difficult to give to legal laboratories, but only to illegal ones since jewelry is only sold with black money.
Illegal gold: A blow to the economy
- Trade of €1 billion in Greece
- Hashura for the economy €500 million
- In 10 years, 15 tons of gold have “left” Greece
It is indicative that if we want to buy a 14 carat gold chain from a legitimate shop:
14K gold chain
- From a legal shop: €450
- From the black market: €300
Source: www.enikos.gr
