Florida men charged in $1 billion illegal gold scheme

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press


Associated Press
Sunday, July 9, 2017 10:59am


MIAMI — A man who considered himself the Pablo Escobar of gold smuggling and two other former workers at a Miami-area refinery imported more than $1 billion in illegally mined gold from South America in a vast money-laundering scheme from 2013 to 2016, U.S. prosecutors say.

In a criminal complaint, the U.S. said that the three ex-employees of NTR Metals Miami and accomplices from several South American countries coordinated the purchase of illegally mined gold originating from Peruvian mines controlled by drug traffickers.

"The international gold trade has become a common method for the laundering of illegal mining, narcotics and other criminal proceeds," said the complaint filed by prosecutor Francisco Maderal.

Prosecutors identified the ringleader as Juan Pablo Granda, a 35-year-old U.S. citizen born in Ecuador who formerly was director of operations for NTR Metals Miami. FBI agents detained him at his mother's home in Miami on March 15, after he was fired by NTR's Texas-based parent company.

Read more: http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/crime/florida-men-charged-in-1-billion-illegal-gold-scheme/2329815

[sandensea]

1. Friends of Narco Rubio no doubt

You can bet some of that loot is making its way to GOP-backed SuperPACs.

[Judi Lynn]

3. Narco can campaign until he's 100 years old, if he remembers to hydrate.

[FakeNoose]

4. I guess he's the Next-Generation's Donald Trump

... learning from the Master no doubt.

[not fooled]

6. Ooohhh

interesting. Wouldn't surprise me one bit, of course.

The GOPee--open for (corrupt) business.

[sandensea]

7. Ha! You know, yeyo does make one work up quite a thirst.

So I hear.

[keithbvadu2]

2. You're sure he did not buy it from Glenn Beck?

[DFW]

5. There's no restriction on importing gold into the USA

Any violations of U.S.law would have to be in the financial sector. Florida and Texas--that's Republican territory. Seems like a good way to skim some fees off the top for a few shady right wing PACs, and the governors of both states are devoid of any morals or scruples in things financial.

I wonder how much of this has been inside or common knowledge and for how long? Gold has been on an unexplained downward slide for the past 5 or 6 weeks, from $1295 to $1209--a pretty drastic drop for such a short time.