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Twenty-nine-year-old, Parker Schnabel,
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is a gold mining prodigy.
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I mean, that's $3 million
right there on the table.
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Over the last decade,
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he's mined over $120 million of gold.
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Whoo!
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And for the past eight years,
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Parker has scoured the Earth.
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I need to go
some place wild and dangerous.
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Explore the places
that other people don't.
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And get back to the basic root
of gold mining.
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On his quest for the next big gold rush.
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If you can survive and you can hack it,
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you'll find piles of gold.
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My! Are you serious?
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- This season...
- This is wild.
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Parker takes on his biggest prospect.
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Heading deep into the jungles of Brazil.
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There's a huge amount of
conflict over lining in the Amazon.
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The only way to really understand
that is to come here and see it.
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Cool.
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If there's opportunities to invest,
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then I want to look at those opportunities.
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That's great.
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Nothing makes you interested
in something like
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having a little bit of skin in the game.
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There's a car upside down.
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I did get fitted for
a bulletproof vest, though.
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That's a first.
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Mate.
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When's the last time you were
in a tiny little old plane?
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On the eve of his next adventure,
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Parker Schnabel and longtime friend
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and cameraman, Danny Etheridge,
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survey Parker's Dominion Creek claim
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in the Klondike gold fields
of North America.
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Yeah, man. Let's do it.
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How much of this is yours, then?
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Everything the sun touches,
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Does it freak you out
when you see it from a bit?
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It's crazy.
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Aw, imagine if
Grandpa John could see this.
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I know.
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Gold was discovered
in this region in 1896,
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triggering a flood of prospectors
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who battled Arctic conditions
to find their fortunes.
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Since the original strike,
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more than $40 billion of gold
has been discovered.
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Now, Parker's Dominion claim is
some of the last good ground left.
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Any time that we've had like, really
good ground, it's been really small.
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And now we have hundreds of acres.
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So, there's a lot of weight
lifted off my shoulders.
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But at the same time,
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I'm not near retirement.
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Right. I'm 29.
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I didn't buy a future.
I just bought some time.
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I think that the biggest opportunities
in mining are outside of North America.
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So, I need to start
figuring out now what's next.
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That was awesome.
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I love this plane.
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In front.
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Did you get that on camera?
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Mate. You got a house.
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One thing about the house,
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is it makes me realize I don't
really need that much room.
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I use about 10% of it.
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It's pretty nice.
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Really nice.
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00:04:08,510 --> 00:04:10,386
Right, what's happening with Bolivia?
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Is that where we're going
on the off season this year?
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My.
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A year ago...
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- That's good, innit?
- Yeah. It's not bad.
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Parker discovered a gold streak in Bolivia
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and partnered with
a local miner to explore it.
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I'd like to put up $25,000.
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If they find lots of gold, then we split it.
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- Perfecto.
- Perfect.
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- Have you not heard?
- No.
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- Like it's all flooded out.
- -Mate.
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Parker is still invested in the mine,
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but extreme flooding and landslides
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will put them out of action for months.
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So, what's the plan?
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I've actually been working
on options in Brazil.
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- Really?
- Yeah.
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'Cause it's like one of the biggest
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gold producing countries in the world.
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- Brazil.
- Brazil's wild, right?
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Super wild.
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Mate, it's mega dangerous.
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I've always been interested in Brazil
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and, I know that there's
a lot of opportunity there.
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Get boots on the ground and
actually figure out what's going on.
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Yeah.
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If you're in a safe, well-regulated place,
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like those areas have all been mined out.
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And so for me, if we're gonna
be hunting for the best ground,
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that means going where
nobody else has gone, right?
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Eighty tons of gold, worth $5
billion is mined in Brazil each year.
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00:05:45,200 --> 00:05:48,976
But for Parker to find
his next big opportunity,
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he'll have to brave
Wild West like conditions.
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Where miners fight over the best ground.
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And clash with government forces.
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I have my trusty backpack.
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Mate, how is that still going?
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It's the Terminator of backpacks.
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What we did in Bolivia,
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I want to be able to do that
again on this trip.
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Making some small investments
in a bunch of different operations
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00:06:17,580 --> 00:06:19,246
and getting your foot in the door
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on potential future opportunities, right?
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Have you unpacked
since I last saw you?
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It's the same stuff.
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This is a year old.
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No, no. No, it's not.
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It's like spread bidding.
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Your foot's in the door and if it does hit,
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you're the first one in helping develop,
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you know, what could be
a hugely profitable project.
121
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And so, you might have to do
20 of them before one works,
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but the one might pay for the 20.
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Total gambling.
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I think that it's potentially gonna be one
of the most dangerous things we've done.
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We will see 'cause we're doing it.
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00:07:01,790 --> 00:07:04,076
To find the best gold in Brazil,
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00:07:04,100 --> 00:07:07,480
Parker will travel nearly
two and a half thousand miles
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00:07:07,890 --> 00:07:09,456
from central Para,
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00:07:09,480 --> 00:07:13,656
home of one of the world's
biggest ever modern gold strikes,
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00:07:13,680 --> 00:07:16,036
to the state of Mato Grosso,
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where nearly a billion dollars
of gold is mined each year.
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But his first stop,
is the city of Porto Velho.
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Gateway to the gold fields
of the mighty Amazon basin.
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Home to the legendary
communities of floating dredges
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known as fofocas,
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that extract up to a billion
dollars in gold every year.
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00:07:51,720 --> 00:07:54,240
I have been in a plane for like 25 hours.
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Here we are.
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Our first stop here in Porto Velho
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00:08:00,170 --> 00:08:04,796
is one of the last big frontier
gold field areas in the Amazon.
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00:08:04,820 --> 00:08:08,656
You know, they have a lot of these,
kind of like, home built dredging systems
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00:08:08,680 --> 00:08:10,456
called fofocas.
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00:08:10,480 --> 00:08:13,456
I'm always curious about,
like, different mining methods
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in everywhere we go,
every country we go to.
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Let's go.
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And so we're gonna go hop on a boat
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and go find some of these fofocas.
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Hot.
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And humid.
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Back for his
second prospect with Parker,
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is Peruvian safety expert
and heart surgeon,
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Dr. Diego Lizarzaburu.
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00:08:36,580 --> 00:08:39,456
Diego is just like an unreal guy.
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Unreal medic, unreal with security.
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We're really excited to be in Brazil,
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but it's always a big responsibility
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being in charge of health and safety,
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Particularly with Parker.
That can be challenging.
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Are you sweating in some
unfortunate places already?
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00:08:57,170 --> 00:08:59,076
- Did you powder?
- No.
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Are you powdered up, Diego?
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I am.
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But, yeah, I do have missed them.
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Danny and Parker,
a couple of crazy people.
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- Hey, guys.
- -Joining Parker's team for the first time,
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is Brazilian mining expert,
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- I'm Parker.
- Parker, it's so
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00:09:16,270 --> 00:09:17,696
- nice to meet you.
- Larissa Rodrigues.
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00:09:17,720 --> 00:09:18,557
You too.
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00:09:18,581 --> 00:09:20,556
We brought on Larissa.
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A lady that is very in the
know on the mining community
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and what's going on with that.
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- Hey. Nice to meet you.
- Nice to meet you.
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00:09:27,170 --> 00:09:29,976
- Hey, welcome to Brazil, guys.
- Thanks so much.
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Who wants to drive?
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00:09:31,200 --> 00:09:32,480
- Yeah.
- Him.
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The gold mining area in Brazil
tripled in the past 10 years,
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so there is a real
gold rush happening here.
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But anyone looking for investments here,
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needs to be really aware
of how the industry works
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because we have
so many different rules.
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It can be a little bit challenging.
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Right, let's do it. The beginning.
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Looking for mining sites,
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there is a big chance
you find illegal mining.
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But I know how the market works.
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I know who are the players,
where the gold is.
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So I think it can help Parker
navigate a little bit.
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Whoa, you got honked at bro.
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Early in the trip.
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00:10:15,410 --> 00:10:16,696
Trying to get to the river, aren't we?
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00:10:16,720 --> 00:10:20,976
Yes. The gold mining here
in this state is concentrated
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in the mostly river operations
on dredges.
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00:10:24,580 --> 00:10:26,796
I'm guessing that we'll see
a mix here of both,
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00:10:26,820 --> 00:10:29,656
some that are legal and some
that are illegal, won't we?
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00:10:29,680 --> 00:10:30,976
Yeah, we'll see that.
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00:10:31,000 --> 00:10:33,960
Definitely kind of
jumping in the deep end.
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00:10:35,790 --> 00:10:39,456
- We should probably take the right there.
- -The right?
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00:10:39,480 --> 00:10:44,246
Larissa leads the crew to a harbor
on the outskirts of Porto Velho,
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00:10:44,270 --> 00:10:48,340
where boats take workers to the
gold dredges on the Madeira River.
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00:10:52,890 --> 00:10:54,270
When you look around,
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00:10:55,790 --> 00:10:57,866
it just looks fine, it's not that dangerous.
203
00:10:57,890 --> 00:11:00,370
But the thing is, it is.
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00:11:06,000 --> 00:11:07,750
We need to get a boat.
205
00:11:11,000 --> 00:11:13,750
- What's in those?
- A small hospital.
206
00:11:33,680 --> 00:11:34,866
Maybe we should just check it out.
207
00:11:34,890 --> 00:11:36,340
Yeah, let's get on the water.
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00:11:37,480 --> 00:11:39,556
The Madeira River really interests me.
209
00:11:39,580 --> 00:11:43,076
There's just thousands
and thousands of ounces
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00:11:43,100 --> 00:11:44,596
of gold coming out of this area.
211
00:11:44,620 --> 00:11:48,866
So it's good to get a lot of
information from a lot of different people
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00:11:48,890 --> 00:11:51,370
and see a lot of different
kind of mining styles.
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00:11:55,060 --> 00:11:56,766
The gold in the Madeira River
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00:11:56,790 --> 00:11:59,596
comes from the mineral rich Andes.
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00:11:59,620 --> 00:12:01,766
Formed millions of years ago.
216
00:12:01,790 --> 00:12:04,656
Hot volcanic magma fractured the rock,
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00:12:04,680 --> 00:12:08,866
creating quartz veins in which
gold then crystallized.
218
00:12:08,890 --> 00:12:12,596
Over time, the gold rich veins
erode into the river,
219
00:12:12,620 --> 00:12:17,076
where water carries millions of
tiny specks of gold downstream,
220
00:12:17,100 --> 00:12:21,866
making the Madeira a
2,000-mile-long golden highway,
221
00:12:21,890 --> 00:12:25,976
where dredges comb the
riverbed in search of gold hot spots
222
00:12:26,000 --> 00:12:28,650
that shift and change with the current.
223
00:12:31,000 --> 00:12:32,170
Over there, can you see?
224
00:12:36,000 --> 00:12:37,240
There's another one there.
225
00:12:39,620 --> 00:12:40,866
It's almost burned.
226
00:12:40,890 --> 00:12:43,030
This right there. There.
227
00:12:55,680 --> 00:12:57,346
Wow.
228
00:12:57,370 --> 00:13:00,170
And that's the government,
like cracking down on things.
229
00:13:02,270 --> 00:13:04,246
In the last 12 months,
230
00:13:04,270 --> 00:13:07,976
legislation has made
the area north of Porto Velho
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00:13:08,000 --> 00:13:11,246
illegal to mine for environmental reasons.
232
00:13:11,270 --> 00:13:15,346
And fofocas have become
a target of police raids,
233
00:13:15,370 --> 00:13:18,750
creating a dangerous game
of cat and mouse.
234
00:13:22,510 --> 00:13:26,440
I do feel like it's important to
see where the gold's coming from.
235
00:13:27,200 --> 00:13:28,550
Legal or illegal.
236
00:13:29,100 --> 00:13:31,246
I don't like illegal mining,
237
00:13:31,270 --> 00:13:34,860
but, I'm not gonna shy away from it.
238
00:13:42,720 --> 00:13:47,076
So, he's saying we need to
make contacts with locals before,
239
00:13:47,100 --> 00:13:50,790
so we can get access to the
to the dredgers, otherwise
240
00:13:51,270 --> 00:13:53,976
they won't get us on board.
241
00:13:54,000 --> 00:13:55,346
Can you ask him
if there's somebody here
242
00:13:55,370 --> 00:13:57,860
that we can talk to about
what we're trying to do?
243
00:14:09,890 --> 00:14:11,456
We are going to a boat
244
00:14:11,480 --> 00:14:13,976
that is owned by the
245
00:14:14,000 --> 00:14:15,790
who's a well-known miner here.
246
00:14:19,060 --> 00:14:20,170
Let's jump on.
247
00:14:29,100 --> 00:14:32,130
No, I've done it. It's fine.
248
00:14:33,790 --> 00:14:35,270
All right, let's do this.
249
00:14:38,000 --> 00:14:39,246
Diego.
250
00:14:39,270 --> 00:14:41,796
Boat driver, Junio's friend, Akara...
251
00:14:41,820 --> 00:14:43,076
Facts.
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00:14:43,100 --> 00:14:45,346
I'm too tall.
253
00:14:45,370 --> 00:14:47,146
Lives on this houseboat
254
00:14:47,170 --> 00:14:49,130
and mines on the Madeira River.
255
00:14:49,620 --> 00:14:51,170
How are you?
256
00:14:52,680 --> 00:14:55,486
His friend Giovanni, is also a miner.
257
00:14:55,510 --> 00:14:56,696
- Parker.
- Parker.
258
00:14:56,720 --> 00:14:57,976
Giovanni.
259
00:14:58,000 --> 00:15:00,000
Does he own some of these dredges?
260
00:15:02,000 --> 00:15:03,906
Is there a lot of gold found in this area?
261
00:15:03,930 --> 00:15:05,556
More or less.
262
00:15:05,580 --> 00:15:07,790
Like, what's a good day
for one of these guys?
263
00:15:11,790 --> 00:15:12,890
Two-thirds of an ounce.
264
00:15:19,680 --> 00:15:21,386
Wow! In a very good day,
265
00:15:21,410 --> 00:15:23,976
one kilo, 700 grams.
266
00:15:24,000 --> 00:15:25,656
That's not bad.
267
00:15:25,680 --> 00:15:31,246
On average, dredges can
find $1,300 worth of gold a day.
268
00:15:31,270 --> 00:15:33,486
But on the river's richest hot spots,
269
00:15:33,510 --> 00:15:37,346
that can rise to $100,000.
270
00:15:37,370 --> 00:15:40,906
Can you ask about why we've
seen all these like, burned up dredges
271
00:15:40,930 --> 00:15:43,970
and like, what happened to them when
the other ones were getting burned down?
272
00:15:50,620 --> 00:15:51,680
How long ago was that?
273
00:15:56,170 --> 00:15:59,286
He's saying, like,
when the operations come,
274
00:15:59,310 --> 00:16:00,976
they can see them happening.
275
00:16:01,000 --> 00:16:04,076
So, like, the ones that are more smart,
276
00:16:04,100 --> 00:16:07,176
they find their way to hide
and to run, literally.
277
00:16:07,200 --> 00:16:11,310
Right. And does it ever get violent
when those raids are happening?
278
00:16:12,370 --> 00:16:13,486
Bombs.
279
00:16:13,510 --> 00:16:16,550
- Really?
- Yeah.
280
00:16:17,790 --> 00:16:19,130
That seems pretty intense.
281
00:16:20,100 --> 00:16:21,240
Ooh!
282
00:16:45,100 --> 00:16:46,596
Is she crying 'cause that's her home?
283
00:16:46,620 --> 00:16:48,270
Yeah, it was her house.
284
00:16:52,000 --> 00:16:53,000
Wow.
285
00:16:59,310 --> 00:17:03,696
Giovanni is telling me that he can
show us his dredger that was blown up.
286
00:17:03,720 --> 00:17:06,340
- Sure.
- -We just need to follow him.
287
00:17:09,480 --> 00:17:11,346
Step on the cross members.
288
00:17:11,370 --> 00:17:14,270
He's showing us
where the engine was exploded.
289
00:17:17,100 --> 00:17:18,750
- Yeah.
- Wow.
290
00:17:26,480 --> 00:17:28,556
It's quite the explosion, isn't it?
291
00:17:28,580 --> 00:17:32,060
I mean, that has taken all of that out.
292
00:17:33,000 --> 00:17:34,000
Is it scary?
293
00:17:42,510 --> 00:17:44,246
They go in, they drag you off.
294
00:17:44,270 --> 00:17:45,656
They stick dynamite in your engines
295
00:17:45,680 --> 00:17:46,766
and they blow 'em to smithereens.
296
00:17:46,790 --> 00:17:48,556
I mean, that's pretty full on stuff.
297
00:17:48,580 --> 00:17:49,976
And if we'd have come here
two weeks ago,
298
00:17:50,000 --> 00:17:51,596
we would have seen them working
299
00:17:51,620 --> 00:17:55,440
rather than seeing them in sort of black,
charred, scarred heaps that they are.
300
00:18:04,000 --> 00:18:06,930
Can you ask him if that's the military?
301
00:18:10,480 --> 00:18:12,680
- Military. What are they doing?
- Yeah.
302
00:18:17,310 --> 00:18:19,246
They're not gonna come
and bomb us, are they?
303
00:18:19,270 --> 00:18:20,580
Four military planes.
304
00:18:34,790 --> 00:18:36,170
Four military planes.
305
00:18:38,510 --> 00:18:40,656
On the hunt for fofocas,
306
00:18:40,680 --> 00:18:44,766
dredge convoys that mine
millions of dollars of gold a year.
307
00:18:44,790 --> 00:18:46,976
They're not going to come
and bomb us, are they?
308
00:18:47,000 --> 00:18:52,750
Parker and the team spot military planes
fly over a bombed out illegal dredge.
309
00:19:07,680 --> 00:19:10,596
Yeah, in operations,
they're like just flying low.
310
00:19:10,620 --> 00:19:13,480
Helicopters. Usually are helicopters.
311
00:19:16,750 --> 00:19:17,960
Right.
312
00:19:20,000 --> 00:19:22,976
Despite the daily
threats on their livelihoods,
313
00:19:23,000 --> 00:19:28,076
Akara and Giovanni
did not want to stop mining.
314
00:19:28,100 --> 00:19:31,170
Was his family in mining?
How did he end up mining?
315
00:19:39,170 --> 00:19:40,726
So, when he was 15,
316
00:19:40,750 --> 00:19:45,596
there was a chance for him
to be working for, gold mining and he went
317
00:19:45,620 --> 00:19:48,766
because he thought it was a
chance for him to change his life.
318
00:19:48,790 --> 00:19:49,790
- Right.
- So.
319
00:20:01,960 --> 00:20:05,656
He is doing mining that's
illegal. He knows it's illegal.
320
00:20:05,680 --> 00:20:07,726
But if you grow up in that circumstance
321
00:20:07,750 --> 00:20:12,270
and you have an opportunity
to find a way out of that,
322
00:20:13,170 --> 00:20:14,556
like, you're probably
not gonna worry about
323
00:20:14,580 --> 00:20:16,766
what side of the law you're on. I get that.
324
00:20:16,790 --> 00:20:19,650
And at the same time, you know,
325
00:20:21,060 --> 00:20:23,170
is it right or wrong? I don't know.
326
00:20:25,890 --> 00:20:28,556
We didn't talk very much about
like the actual mining
327
00:20:28,580 --> 00:20:31,130
and how they find areas to go
and stuff like that.
328
00:20:35,960 --> 00:20:39,836
He says it's not very good for us like
to be around on the river by our own,
329
00:20:39,860 --> 00:20:42,976
but we should find someone
else like to take us there.
330
00:20:43,000 --> 00:20:44,000
All right.
331
00:20:44,960 --> 00:20:46,976
To track down the fofocas
332
00:20:47,000 --> 00:20:49,486
and see the gold for themselves,
333
00:20:49,510 --> 00:20:52,860
Parker and the crew
need a guide with connections.
334
00:21:00,060 --> 00:21:02,060
Okay.
335
00:21:03,100 --> 00:21:04,100
Okay.
336
00:21:11,170 --> 00:21:13,866
He's in charge of miner's union.
337
00:21:13,890 --> 00:21:16,766
And actually, this Fabiano
seems to be in a bar.
338
00:21:16,790 --> 00:21:19,386
That it's like the gold miners
bars around here.
339
00:21:19,410 --> 00:21:21,596
He can give us directions there.
340
00:21:21,620 --> 00:21:24,346
So we need to get out of here
and we need to find Fabiano.
341
00:21:24,370 --> 00:21:25,456
Should we go find our bar?
342
00:21:25,480 --> 00:21:27,370
Yeah. Let's go. Let's move.
343
00:21:30,000 --> 00:21:31,766
You know, I would never invest
344
00:21:31,790 --> 00:21:34,146
in any sort of illegal mining operation.
345
00:21:34,170 --> 00:21:36,596
But I do feel like it's important
346
00:21:36,620 --> 00:21:38,976
when you're like looking at a region
347
00:21:39,000 --> 00:21:42,936
and assessing what the
potential is and where the gold is,
348
00:21:42,960 --> 00:21:44,440
to see everything.
349
00:21:46,370 --> 00:21:48,656
And if we learned anything in Peru,
350
00:21:48,680 --> 00:21:51,976
it's that we love super dodgy
mining bars, right?
351
00:21:52,000 --> 00:21:53,650
So, I think we should go there.
352
00:22:06,580 --> 00:22:09,836
Have you spent
a lot of time in, miners bars, Larissa?
353
00:22:09,860 --> 00:22:11,036
No, I haven't.
354
00:22:11,060 --> 00:22:12,866
- No?
- No.
355
00:22:12,890 --> 00:22:15,000
We have.
356
00:22:16,680 --> 00:22:19,146
Let's find him, have a drink.
357
00:22:19,170 --> 00:22:21,656
I'm having a minimum of four beers.
358
00:22:21,680 --> 00:22:22,976
So that means
that I have to stay sober then
359
00:22:23,000 --> 00:22:25,270
in case some guy wants
to come in and beat you up.
360
00:22:28,790 --> 00:22:30,820
This is like a residential street.
361
00:22:34,370 --> 00:22:35,930
This cannot be it.
362
00:22:40,410 --> 00:22:41,860
Okay, guys, let's go.
363
00:22:42,750 --> 00:22:44,176
Be careful.
364
00:22:44,200 --> 00:22:46,580
Where are we going? It's just a wall.
365
00:22:48,270 --> 00:22:50,656
I think it might be better if the
rest of the crew wait outside.
366
00:22:50,680 --> 00:22:52,556
I can smell barbecue from here,
367
00:22:52,580 --> 00:22:55,960
but it doesn't really look like a bar.
368
00:22:57,000 --> 00:22:58,726
- Hang on.
- Is it locked?
369
00:22:58,750 --> 00:23:01,766
- No, it's...
- Hi.
370
00:23:01,790 --> 00:23:03,146
- What?
- The weirdest thing,
371
00:23:03,170 --> 00:23:05,100
coming in off the street like that.
372
00:23:20,680 --> 00:23:22,656
I just asked about Fabiano,
373
00:23:22,680 --> 00:23:25,176
and he told me "I cannot tell
you because I don't know you."
374
00:23:25,200 --> 00:23:27,680
Sometimes, he appears.
Sometimes, it's hard to get.
375
00:23:34,200 --> 00:23:35,866
Someone's just arrived.
376
00:23:35,890 --> 00:23:37,976
Yeah, it's him.
377
00:23:38,000 --> 00:23:39,866
I think it's Fabiano over there. Yeah.
378
00:23:39,890 --> 00:23:42,750
This short little guy with
the body tat that looks angry?
379
00:23:51,370 --> 00:23:53,100
- Fabiano?
- - Fabiano.
380
00:24:04,310 --> 00:24:06,170
Ask him if he can join us for a beer.
381
00:24:16,370 --> 00:24:17,936
He's not really comfortable
382
00:24:17,960 --> 00:24:20,930
because he doesn't know us, and
then we showed up, this is a private party.
383
00:24:42,790 --> 00:24:44,960
Just checking.
Is he cool with the filming pact?
384
00:24:52,200 --> 00:24:54,726
- No.
- - Yeah, it's okay.
385
00:24:54,750 --> 00:24:56,170
He's saying it's okay.
386
00:25:05,580 --> 00:25:08,346
From my standpoint,
I always want to learn
387
00:25:08,370 --> 00:25:10,836
about areas where people are mining,
388
00:25:10,860 --> 00:25:13,246
understand, like, how they got there,
389
00:25:13,270 --> 00:25:16,346
what they're doing, how much... you
know, how much gold they're finding.
390
00:25:16,370 --> 00:25:21,000
Sometimes, we've, like, made
investments in mining operations.
391
00:25:26,790 --> 00:25:29,240
Yeah. Yeah. Exactly, yeah.
392
00:25:31,000 --> 00:25:34,656
Does he, like, own some dredges or...
393
00:25:34,680 --> 00:25:36,480
He says, not today.
394
00:25:37,580 --> 00:25:39,146
He used to have.
395
00:25:39,170 --> 00:25:41,076
What's his... Like, what does he do now?
396
00:25:41,100 --> 00:25:43,346
He says, now, he's being dedicated, like,
397
00:25:43,370 --> 00:25:47,456
to represent the miners here,
and together, the miners,
398
00:25:47,480 --> 00:25:50,976
so they can fight for the
right to be mining here around.
399
00:25:51,000 --> 00:25:54,766
From what we learned today,
it doesn't look like it's, like...
400
00:25:54,790 --> 00:25:57,386
It is a bunch of independent people
401
00:25:57,410 --> 00:26:00,680
that run, operate most of those dredges.
402
00:26:10,000 --> 00:26:12,790
How often do they come and blow up?
403
00:26:20,410 --> 00:26:21,976
Wow.
404
00:26:22,000 --> 00:26:23,456
Like... At when... Any given time
405
00:26:23,480 --> 00:26:26,200
before they, like, really crack
down on it, how many were they?
406
00:26:32,790 --> 00:26:35,060
So, it went from 5,000 down to 100?
407
00:26:38,580 --> 00:26:42,246
He's saying he's a bit nervous
because we're kind of interrogating him.
408
00:26:42,270 --> 00:26:44,370
- I'm just really curious.
- Yeah. Yeah. Me, too.
409
00:26:55,620 --> 00:26:57,976
Like, if you go to a
mining site, like to dredge,
410
00:26:58,000 --> 00:26:59,790
everybody will think you're a police guy.
411
00:27:26,480 --> 00:27:29,726
Parker leaves without a
clear commitment from Fabiano
412
00:27:29,750 --> 00:27:31,976
to show him the fofocas.
413
00:27:32,000 --> 00:27:34,370
- Interesting place. Yeah.
- Yeah.
414
00:27:44,580 --> 00:27:48,246
If you wanna see the gold
from the fofocas...
415
00:27:48,270 --> 00:27:50,036
No cameras.
416
00:27:50,060 --> 00:27:53,726
Guys, sorry. I'm sorry. I mean, I
don't wanna get involved with it.
417
00:27:53,750 --> 00:27:55,860
Like, just be careful.
418
00:27:58,100 --> 00:28:03,386
This is, like, illegal... illegal smuggling,
like, they are smuggling gold here.
419
00:28:03,410 --> 00:28:06,000
I'm pretty clear on this. I don't
want to get involved with it.
420
00:28:07,000 --> 00:28:10,346
Wow. Beautiful looking gold.
421
00:28:10,370 --> 00:28:11,766
I think the gold here is really pure.
422
00:28:11,790 --> 00:28:13,890
Can you ask him what the purity is?
423
00:28:17,790 --> 00:28:21,656
- Ninety eight percent.
- Holy That's like...
424
00:28:21,680 --> 00:28:24,556
- Yeah, 12, 13% higher than ours.
- -Wow.
425
00:28:24,580 --> 00:28:26,790
Yeah, you can tell, looking at it.
426
00:28:29,370 --> 00:28:32,346
No, that's okay.
That's not what I'm here for.
427
00:28:32,370 --> 00:28:33,750
Yeah, let's go.
428
00:28:35,860 --> 00:28:38,036
You know, I think he's gone.
I think he's gone.
429
00:28:38,060 --> 00:28:40,000
I'm gonna go back to the car now.
430
00:28:42,370 --> 00:28:44,836
Illegal gold from the Madeira River
431
00:28:44,860 --> 00:28:49,076
is estimated to be worth
half a billion dollars a year,
432
00:28:49,100 --> 00:28:52,030
with most of it
moved on the black market.
433
00:28:54,000 --> 00:28:58,386
I myself when he just
jumped out of the bushes.
434
00:28:58,410 --> 00:29:01,976
- That scared me, too.
- You got scared?
435
00:29:02,000 --> 00:29:04,750
You're not scared of anything,
Diego. What are you talking about?
436
00:29:07,000 --> 00:29:10,556
It feels like everybody that
we're interacting with here so far
437
00:29:10,580 --> 00:29:13,976
has been on the wrong side of the law.
438
00:29:14,000 --> 00:29:19,076
Tomorrow, hopefully, we can get on
one of those fofocas, see what's going on.
439
00:29:19,100 --> 00:29:22,036
But, yes, there's lots of dangers,
440
00:29:22,060 --> 00:29:24,596
and upsetting and provoking people
441
00:29:24,620 --> 00:29:27,550
in an area like this could be catastrophic.
442
00:29:29,480 --> 00:29:31,866
So, today was
our first day in Porto Velho.
443
00:29:31,890 --> 00:29:34,976
There's a lot of politics. Yeah,
there's a lot of illegal mining.
444
00:29:35,000 --> 00:29:36,246
They don't think it should be.
445
00:29:36,270 --> 00:29:40,656
But we met a guy named
Fabiano, a union leader.
446
00:29:40,680 --> 00:29:45,346
So, I'm hoping we can
find one of the fofocas.
447
00:29:45,370 --> 00:29:49,750
I'm looking forward to kind of I'm
seeing how deep in the jungle we can get.
448
00:30:00,370 --> 00:30:02,246
I talked with Fabiano.
449
00:30:02,270 --> 00:30:07,146
The good thing is, like, he's going to
get access for us to go into the fofocas.
450
00:30:07,170 --> 00:30:08,750
That would be great.
451
00:30:10,680 --> 00:30:15,526
Local union boss, Fabiano, has
agreed to take Parker and his team
452
00:30:15,550 --> 00:30:19,006
to the infamous Madeira River fofocas
453
00:30:19,030 --> 00:30:22,456
to show them how these dredges
can find the hot spots
454
00:30:22,480 --> 00:30:26,340
that bring in up to a
billion dollars of gold a year.
455
00:30:31,170 --> 00:30:34,060
- That's him. That's him, right?
- That's him. Yeah, that's him.
456
00:30:36,100 --> 00:30:37,976
It's just a region with a ton of gold,
457
00:30:38,000 --> 00:30:41,146
and mining, at times,
on the water can be
458
00:30:41,170 --> 00:30:43,346
very cheap and efficient,
like the dredges.
459
00:30:43,370 --> 00:30:45,526
You know, back in the day in the Yukon,
460
00:30:45,550 --> 00:30:47,766
they were incredibly
productive and efficient.
461
00:30:47,790 --> 00:30:52,720
And so, it's a good way to kind
of start and expand from there.
462
00:30:58,580 --> 00:30:59,680
Yeah, we're ready.
463
00:31:14,340 --> 00:31:16,480
Diego has a lot of different outfits.
464
00:31:18,340 --> 00:31:22,246
It's a day's journey to see
the current gold hot spot.
465
00:31:22,270 --> 00:31:25,626
And one of the only fofocas still floating
466
00:31:25,650 --> 00:31:29,240
since the government made
these waters illegal to mine.
467
00:31:41,440 --> 00:31:42,976
He saw your videos on YouTube,
468
00:31:43,000 --> 00:31:47,820
and you seem to have
a noble heart and miner blood.
469
00:31:49,270 --> 00:31:50,580
Same to you.
470
00:31:52,270 --> 00:31:56,680
Fabiano's family have
mined here for over 30 years.
471
00:31:58,860 --> 00:32:02,440
Yeah. His father began in
the industry with one of those.
472
00:32:12,270 --> 00:32:15,146
The guy we spoke to
yesterday at the party,
473
00:32:15,170 --> 00:32:17,650
he has a dredge
that was drowned up there.
474
00:32:35,480 --> 00:32:37,216
- Did you say that they sunk them?
- Yes.
475
00:32:37,240 --> 00:32:38,766
- And refloated them.
- Yeah.
476
00:32:38,790 --> 00:32:42,556
They saved all of the dredges by
sinking them before the police arrived.
477
00:32:42,580 --> 00:32:45,556
They live on them, don't they?
How do you sink your own house?
478
00:32:45,580 --> 00:32:50,440
I cannot imagine how you take that out
of the water. It must be really complex.
479
00:32:54,960 --> 00:32:58,936
He wants to show us, like, how
they managed to sink the dredges
480
00:32:58,960 --> 00:33:02,526
to run from the police, and then,
to pull them out of the water again.
481
00:33:02,550 --> 00:33:03,726
- Yeah.
- Let's do it.
482
00:33:03,750 --> 00:33:04,960
Okay.
483
00:33:12,240 --> 00:33:13,650
Is it that one?
484
00:33:18,370 --> 00:33:21,340
The dredge was part of a fofoca.
485
00:33:23,890 --> 00:33:26,246
But during a recent military raid,
486
00:33:26,270 --> 00:33:29,246
it was sunk to protect
the most expensive part of it,
487
00:33:29,270 --> 00:33:31,650
a 16-Litre pump engine.
488
00:33:44,550 --> 00:33:45,936
Just so you know the rules here
489
00:33:45,960 --> 00:33:49,246
I mean, you know already,
but, like, here, it's all illegal.
490
00:33:49,270 --> 00:33:50,656
So, just be careful.
491
00:33:50,680 --> 00:33:53,456
Like, if you go mining here, you
can really get into legal trouble.
492
00:33:53,480 --> 00:33:55,036
But just so you know the rules, right?
493
00:33:55,060 --> 00:33:56,386
Yeah, I'm not.
494
00:33:56,410 --> 00:33:59,100
- Just so you know.
- I appreciate that.
495
00:34:05,270 --> 00:34:06,930
How long has it been sunk?
496
00:34:11,480 --> 00:34:12,766
One month, more or less.
497
00:34:12,790 --> 00:34:15,060
In this one, they were on
must have been sunk, too.
498
00:34:19,060 --> 00:34:21,036
Yeah, it was all sunk. Yeah, this one, too.
499
00:34:21,060 --> 00:34:23,216
That's why it's a bit dirty.
500
00:34:23,240 --> 00:34:25,146
- All the parts, everything.
- Wow.
501
00:34:25,170 --> 00:34:27,216
Yeah. What a mess.
502
00:34:27,240 --> 00:34:28,866
Yeah.
503
00:34:28,890 --> 00:34:31,580
You know what is there?
Written over there on the wall?
504
00:34:32,890 --> 00:34:34,556
Know what it means?
505
00:34:34,580 --> 00:34:36,626
- No.
- "Gold rush" in Portuguese.
506
00:34:36,650 --> 00:34:39,656
- Febre du Ouro. Yeah.
- Yeah, it does.
507
00:34:39,680 --> 00:34:43,246
It was the last scribbling that they
made as the ship was going down.
508
00:34:43,270 --> 00:34:46,170
This is Parker Schnabel's fault.
509
00:34:54,370 --> 00:34:56,000
What's the process here...
510
00:35:03,370 --> 00:35:07,316
Just with a rope, from this dredge,
you try to pull the other one out.
511
00:35:07,340 --> 00:35:08,340
I see.
512
00:35:10,550 --> 00:35:13,216
Every dredge rests on floats.
513
00:35:13,240 --> 00:35:16,726
To sink them quickly, the
floats are filled with water.
514
00:35:16,750 --> 00:35:20,526
Using the high-pressure
sluice pump to refloat,
515
00:35:20,550 --> 00:35:24,766
a diver attaches ropes under the
main structure from two dredges,
516
00:35:24,790 --> 00:35:27,246
one on either side.
517
00:35:27,270 --> 00:35:30,146
Usually, each uses a come-along winch
518
00:35:30,170 --> 00:35:33,316
to hoist the dredge out of the water.
519
00:35:33,340 --> 00:35:37,170
But today, there is just
one dredge, and one winch.
520
00:35:39,000 --> 00:35:42,836
So the owner, Ronaldo, is
using his super-powered tugboat
521
00:35:42,860 --> 00:35:44,930
to pull from the other side.
522
00:35:47,790 --> 00:35:48,976
That boat's sick.
523
00:35:49,000 --> 00:35:51,550
Yeah. Meaty, isn't it?
524
00:35:52,340 --> 00:35:53,790
Look at that thing.
525
00:35:55,170 --> 00:35:59,766
Eager to get back on the
gold, Ronaldo's divers jump in.
526
00:35:59,790 --> 00:36:02,626
But as it's an illegal operation,
527
00:36:02,650 --> 00:36:05,860
Parker can only watch
or he risks going to jail.
528
00:36:12,790 --> 00:36:15,726
So, the diver goes under the water,
529
00:36:15,750 --> 00:36:17,556
ties a couple of ropes around it,
530
00:36:17,580 --> 00:36:21,100
and then, they use that chain
that we're seeing over there...
531
00:36:24,170 --> 00:36:26,340
The ratio of gearing in that...
532
00:36:27,060 --> 00:36:28,656
What could you pull with that?
533
00:36:28,680 --> 00:36:29,930
A lot, right?
534
00:36:31,000 --> 00:36:33,860
I don't think you can pull
a dredge out of the water.
535
00:36:34,790 --> 00:36:37,526
The sunken dredge is full of silt,
536
00:36:37,550 --> 00:36:40,750
and weighs at least 16 tons.
537
00:36:44,060 --> 00:36:47,216
Well, I guess there's two ways
to float a boat, right?
538
00:36:47,240 --> 00:36:50,346
Option A, professional boat salvagers
539
00:36:50,370 --> 00:36:53,346
or boat floaters... whatever they're called.
540
00:36:53,370 --> 00:36:57,550
We're on option B,
which is just brute force.
541
00:36:58,370 --> 00:36:59,836
It is always impressive, though,
542
00:36:59,860 --> 00:37:04,510
just like people's ability to
get creative to solve problems.
543
00:37:16,680 --> 00:37:18,060
Wow.
544
00:37:20,100 --> 00:37:22,240
David and Goliath!
545
00:37:35,480 --> 00:37:37,030
David and Goliath!
546
00:37:39,790 --> 00:37:42,240
In the heart of the Brazilian Amazon,
547
00:37:45,270 --> 00:37:47,146
Parker and his crew are on the hunt
548
00:37:47,170 --> 00:37:51,976
for the infamous gold mining
fofocas of the Madeira River...
549
00:37:52,000 --> 00:37:54,340
The rope broke.
550
00:37:55,580 --> 00:37:58,316
But can only watch on as miners attempt
551
00:37:58,340 --> 00:38:02,550
to pull a 16-ton illegal
gold dredge out of the water.
552
00:38:06,340 --> 00:38:07,656
Yeah, it's too heavy.
553
00:38:07,680 --> 00:38:10,766
- And there's too much mud inside.
- Right.
554
00:38:10,790 --> 00:38:14,416
Ronaldo sunk his dredge
to hide it from the authorities.
555
00:38:14,440 --> 00:38:17,866
But now, he must recover it
and get back to work.
556
00:38:17,890 --> 00:38:20,766
They say that, sometimes, they
do it, like, over and over again,
557
00:38:20,790 --> 00:38:22,246
and the rope breaks all the time.
558
00:38:22,270 --> 00:38:24,866
So, they do it, like,
repeatedly until they get it out.
559
00:38:24,890 --> 00:38:27,340
- Wow.
- When will they try again?
560
00:38:30,370 --> 00:38:31,650
He doesn't really know.
561
00:38:33,370 --> 00:38:36,106
He doesn't really know,
like, it's it's dynamic.
562
00:38:36,130 --> 00:38:38,316
Is there a potential
that they get it halfway out,
563
00:38:38,340 --> 00:38:39,766
and then, they have to sink it again?
564
00:38:39,790 --> 00:38:41,556
Yeah, there is a risk.
565
00:38:41,580 --> 00:38:43,860
When they see the
police coming, they sink it.
566
00:38:45,340 --> 00:38:48,416
When operating,
Ronaldo's dredge brought in
567
00:38:48,440 --> 00:38:50,836
up to a $1,000 day.
568
00:38:50,860 --> 00:38:53,656
But with the dredge
out of commission for a month,
569
00:38:53,680 --> 00:38:58,030
he and his crew
are almost $20,000 down.
570
00:38:59,680 --> 00:39:02,346
Sometimes, when the dredge
sinks, they don't have money
571
00:39:02,370 --> 00:39:04,556
to come back and to pull it out.
572
00:39:04,580 --> 00:39:09,346
So, they need to go to other
operations to work there as workers,
573
00:39:09,370 --> 00:39:12,626
make money, and then,
come back to pull it out.
574
00:39:12,650 --> 00:39:13,750
Are more people coming?
575
00:39:15,340 --> 00:39:16,580
No.
576
00:39:18,550 --> 00:39:21,246
So, they spend
days, and days, and days,
577
00:39:21,270 --> 00:39:23,626
pulling these things out of the water,
578
00:39:23,650 --> 00:39:25,456
which are all kind of
full of mud and broken,
579
00:39:25,480 --> 00:39:26,766
and they have to rebuild them.
580
00:39:26,790 --> 00:39:28,076
And then, there's a very good chance
581
00:39:28,100 --> 00:39:29,656
that just they get to the point where
582
00:39:29,680 --> 00:39:31,036
it's rebuilt and they're ready to go again.
583
00:39:31,060 --> 00:39:34,726
And then, the authorities
come in and destroy it all again.
584
00:39:34,750 --> 00:39:38,240
I think it's impressive
that they're just carrying on.
585
00:40:00,170 --> 00:40:02,656
The team head deeper into the Amazon
586
00:40:02,680 --> 00:40:06,656
to the last rumored location
of the convoy of gold dredges
587
00:40:06,680 --> 00:40:08,650
that form a fofoca.
588
00:40:21,370 --> 00:40:24,620
We are almost there. We are
getting close to the place.
589
00:40:30,860 --> 00:40:32,100
Yeah.
590
00:40:33,370 --> 00:40:35,146
There would be so much noise,
591
00:40:35,170 --> 00:40:37,960
it would be difficult for us to be talking.
592
00:40:41,680 --> 00:40:45,456
Parker, watch your head.
593
00:40:45,480 --> 00:40:46,860
Could you ask him why
594
00:40:47,890 --> 00:40:50,456
he's asking Parker to mind his head,
595
00:40:50,480 --> 00:40:52,550
but he's not asking me.
596
00:41:09,100 --> 00:41:11,456
So many dredges, together.
597
00:41:11,480 --> 00:41:13,346
That is cool.
598
00:41:13,370 --> 00:41:16,146
They are all individual mini dredgers.
599
00:41:16,170 --> 00:41:20,620
But, like, when they find some
gold, they all come to the same place.
600
00:41:23,170 --> 00:41:25,976
Why are they called fofocas?
601
00:41:26,000 --> 00:41:30,146
Actually, "fofocas" is the
Portuguese word for gossip.
602
00:41:30,170 --> 00:41:33,006
It's like, people heard
there was some gold there
603
00:41:33,030 --> 00:41:35,626
and they were gossiping about it.
604
00:41:35,650 --> 00:41:36,976
That's why they go there.
605
00:41:37,000 --> 00:41:38,440
That's cool.
606
00:41:40,480 --> 00:41:42,000
How many dredges were there?
607
00:41:49,100 --> 00:41:51,976
He's telling us, like, that
yesterday, he saw more dredgers.
608
00:41:52,000 --> 00:41:55,456
And now, there's just a few
because they saw helicopters.
609
00:41:55,480 --> 00:41:57,960
- So, they left.
- And not because...
610
00:41:59,170 --> 00:42:01,976
The threat of being
bombed by the authorities
611
00:42:02,000 --> 00:42:06,340
forced over 30 dredges to
abandon this fofoca overnight.
612
00:42:06,680 --> 00:42:07,836
Wow.
613
00:42:07,860 --> 00:42:10,416
Those brave enough
to stay are bringing in
614
00:42:10,440 --> 00:42:13,820
as much gold as possible
before the next raid.
615
00:42:26,480 --> 00:42:29,036
It's such an intense atmosphere,
616
00:42:29,060 --> 00:42:31,750
looking down the side
of them all together. Mad!
617
00:42:36,170 --> 00:42:38,820
Hey, careful.
He has a machete on his hands.
618
00:42:39,270 --> 00:42:40,720
He's saying no to camera.
619
00:42:46,890 --> 00:42:48,976
Slingshot!
620
00:42:49,000 --> 00:42:50,200
He's got a sling.
621
00:42:50,790 --> 00:42:52,526
My.
622
00:42:52,550 --> 00:42:54,510
He's firing at us now.
623
00:43:06,370 --> 00:43:07,370
He's got a sling.
624
00:43:09,030 --> 00:43:10,216
Slingshot.
625
00:43:10,240 --> 00:43:12,656
He's firing at us now.
626
00:43:12,680 --> 00:43:15,000
In the remote Amazon basin
627
00:43:16,170 --> 00:43:17,866
Parker and the
team are attempting to board
628
00:43:17,890 --> 00:43:20,550
a flotilla of illegal gold dredges
629
00:43:21,270 --> 00:43:23,440
known as a fofoca.
630
00:43:24,480 --> 00:43:26,200
Diego to India.
631
00:43:27,680 --> 00:43:31,726
The kid that is on
the fofocas has a slingshot,
632
00:43:31,750 --> 00:43:33,076
and he's shooting rocks.
633
00:43:33,100 --> 00:43:34,820
So, be careful, okay?
634
00:43:48,790 --> 00:43:50,620
We're with him. So, it should be fine.
635
00:44:10,480 --> 00:44:12,340
Yeah.
636
00:44:21,890 --> 00:44:23,526
Watch your head.
637
00:44:23,550 --> 00:44:26,060
- I just smashed it.
-. Already?
638
00:44:27,170 --> 00:44:28,836
This one's been burned down before.
639
00:44:28,860 --> 00:44:30,270
Yeah.
640
00:44:36,890 --> 00:44:42,240
There are so many things that
smack, whack, rip your arm off.
641
00:44:43,890 --> 00:44:46,650
Get distracted and you're... you're.
642
00:44:49,000 --> 00:44:52,036
The fofocas are just like
something straight out of Mad Max.
643
00:44:52,060 --> 00:44:55,036
Like the ingenuity
of the different systems here
644
00:44:55,060 --> 00:44:58,246
to make things work out of just
a bunch of spare random parts.
645
00:44:58,270 --> 00:45:00,626
I mean, a diff out of a truck?
646
00:45:00,650 --> 00:45:03,100
That's a truck diff under there.
647
00:45:03,860 --> 00:45:05,340
That's awesome.
648
00:45:06,550 --> 00:45:10,626
These dredges, built from
low-cost salvage materials,
649
00:45:10,650 --> 00:45:14,146
are mostly owned by families
who live on the level above,
650
00:45:14,170 --> 00:45:18,976
and employ four to five
workers to catch the gold.
651
00:45:19,000 --> 00:45:20,960
Does everybody help everybody out?
652
00:45:33,680 --> 00:45:36,346
In the center of each dredge, a pump,
653
00:45:36,370 --> 00:45:38,860
powered by a diesel truck engine,
654
00:45:39,860 --> 00:45:43,836
attaches to a hose
that must be moved constantly
655
00:45:43,860 --> 00:45:46,750
to keep it just above the uneven riverbed.
656
00:45:48,060 --> 00:45:52,866
The hose then sucks
up water and gold-rich silt
657
00:45:52,890 --> 00:45:57,550
onto a carpet-lined sluice
tray which traps the heavy gold.
658
00:46:01,890 --> 00:46:05,246
If he's too high, he's just pulling water
659
00:46:05,270 --> 00:46:07,170
and too low, and it's plugged up.
660
00:46:08,240 --> 00:46:11,820
Is there a certain depth
that they're trying to get to?
661
00:46:17,790 --> 00:46:19,146
Just like a vacuum cleaner.
662
00:46:19,170 --> 00:46:21,626
If you put your hand over it,
it's not sucking at all.
663
00:46:21,650 --> 00:46:22,930
It's just blocked off.
664
00:46:26,270 --> 00:46:27,976
I'll arm-wrestle him.
665
00:46:28,000 --> 00:46:29,866
You know, I'm gonna
ask him for an arm wrestle.
666
00:46:29,890 --> 00:46:31,656
I want to know how strong he is.
667
00:46:31,680 --> 00:46:33,820
He must be a machine.
668
00:46:38,480 --> 00:46:40,216
Look at this set up.
669
00:46:40,240 --> 00:46:43,216
So, he's made, like, a foot
control so that he can just, like,
670
00:46:43,240 --> 00:46:45,860
put his foot down and
not have to spin the wheel
671
00:46:46,860 --> 00:46:48,766
like those guys over there were doing.
672
00:46:48,790 --> 00:46:50,340
That's sick.
673
00:46:52,030 --> 00:46:55,976
Somebody really didn't want
to spin that thing by hand.
674
00:46:56,000 --> 00:46:57,626
He's, like, 80 years old.
675
00:46:57,650 --> 00:46:59,416
Got a massive right arm.
676
00:46:59,440 --> 00:47:01,340
One day, he'll just be like
677
00:47:01,650 --> 00:47:02,766
"I'm done."
678
00:47:02,790 --> 00:47:04,410
"What have I been doing?"
679
00:47:06,060 --> 00:47:12,146
One impressive thing about this is
how much physical work goes into this,
680
00:47:12,170 --> 00:47:16,766
and how, like, really diligent
you'd have to be to work on these.
681
00:47:16,790 --> 00:47:20,200
Like, there's a lot of
here that can kill you.
682
00:47:25,270 --> 00:47:28,000
And what's a normal day's production?
683
00:47:32,890 --> 00:47:35,060
Each one of these, ten grams a day.
684
00:47:36,130 --> 00:47:39,976
Ten grams brings in $650 a day,
685
00:47:40,000 --> 00:47:43,976
an annual total of $240,000,
686
00:47:44,000 --> 00:47:48,000
shared between the
dredge's owner and four crew.
687
00:47:59,030 --> 00:48:00,720
Yeah.
688
00:48:09,680 --> 00:48:13,006
7.5?
689
00:48:13,030 --> 00:48:15,170
And that's from 20 hours?
690
00:48:16,480 --> 00:48:17,960
Four hundred and fifty dollars.
691
00:48:18,890 --> 00:48:20,346
That's what that is.
692
00:48:20,370 --> 00:48:21,790
Hard living.
693
00:48:23,270 --> 00:48:27,146
I kind of think that they just
randomly bop around the river
694
00:48:27,170 --> 00:48:31,456
and stick their hose down to the
bottom and dredge for a few hours,
695
00:48:31,480 --> 00:48:35,216
and be like, "yeah, there's gold
here so we'll just, like, be here."
696
00:48:35,240 --> 00:48:37,626
And then, somebody else is
like, "There's more gold over here."
697
00:48:37,650 --> 00:48:39,006
And so, they go over there.
698
00:48:39,030 --> 00:48:40,936
And then, somebody else is
like, "There's more gold over here."
699
00:48:40,960 --> 00:48:42,100
So, they all go over there.
700
00:48:43,130 --> 00:48:44,726
The distribution of gold
701
00:48:44,750 --> 00:48:48,246
along the 2000-mile-long Madeira River
702
00:48:48,270 --> 00:48:50,656
is affected by ever changing currents.
703
00:48:50,680 --> 00:48:55,410
So, fofocas must keep moving
to locate the best deposits.
704
00:49:00,480 --> 00:49:03,836
Why don't they use any riffles?
705
00:49:03,860 --> 00:49:07,370
I would use expanded metal
in the sluice box if that were me.
706
00:49:11,480 --> 00:49:12,976
All right. He's saying that's because
707
00:49:13,000 --> 00:49:16,240
there are no rocks here.
It's only gold dust and mud.
708
00:49:17,890 --> 00:49:20,036
A lot of people think that
gold in a sluice box like,
709
00:49:20,060 --> 00:49:23,316
"gold's heavy, and it just
stops in the sluice box."
710
00:49:23,340 --> 00:49:25,216
That's how this is done.
711
00:49:25,240 --> 00:49:29,246
But the mechanics of a
properly set up sluice box
712
00:49:29,270 --> 00:49:34,246
are constantly giving gold an
opportunity to drop out out of the slurry,
713
00:49:34,270 --> 00:49:37,100
out of the column
is flowing across it, right?
714
00:49:40,240 --> 00:49:43,976
Unlike the flat carpets
used on these sluices,
715
00:49:44,000 --> 00:49:47,346
in the Yukon, Parker uses metal riffles
716
00:49:47,370 --> 00:49:52,240
to create a vortex within the water
and suck down the heavy gold.
717
00:49:56,000 --> 00:49:58,246
Just as a thought exercise,
718
00:49:58,270 --> 00:50:01,656
let's say that the dredges are
losing 20% of recoverable gold.
719
00:50:01,680 --> 00:50:05,766
Forty dredges doing three
ounces a day is 120 ounces.
720
00:50:05,790 --> 00:50:08,976
Twenty percent of that is 24 ounces.
721
00:50:09,000 --> 00:50:14,526
So, there's almost 50 grand a day that's
probably being lost that's recoverable.
722
00:50:14,550 --> 00:50:17,866
With a properly designed sluice
box... If somebody wanted to do that,
723
00:50:17,890 --> 00:50:20,340
it would be a very good
business. It would make money.
724
00:50:21,960 --> 00:50:24,440
The most frustrating thing
about being here is,
725
00:50:25,680 --> 00:50:28,836
if we wanted to make an investment,
726
00:50:28,860 --> 00:50:32,030
this would be a perfect
place to do it if it weren't illegal.
727
00:50:33,370 --> 00:50:36,216
You know, right now, I'm like, buy a boat.
728
00:50:36,240 --> 00:50:39,656
I can get some, like, welding
gear, and some torches,
729
00:50:39,680 --> 00:50:45,036
and a couple of truckloads of
expanded metal, and a bunch of carpets,
730
00:50:45,060 --> 00:50:49,146
come out here and just start,
731
00:50:49,170 --> 00:50:51,340
building sluice boxes.
732
00:50:53,060 --> 00:50:55,766
Yeah, that's great.
733
00:50:55,790 --> 00:50:57,100
Coming up
734
00:50:58,650 --> 00:51:01,890
Parker finds his first legal gold.
735
00:51:06,580 --> 00:51:08,270
Are they happy? Is he happy?
736
00:51:16,170 --> 00:51:18,866
It's the guy that was shooting
with the slingshot at us.
737
00:51:18,890 --> 00:51:23,976
Parker and his team are on one
of the last remaining gold fofocas
738
00:51:24,000 --> 00:51:25,410
of the Madeira River...
739
00:51:30,270 --> 00:51:32,766
Yeah, he was doing that.
740
00:51:32,790 --> 00:51:34,106
Where the illegal crew
741
00:51:34,130 --> 00:51:37,930
live under constant threat
from government raids.
742
00:51:45,270 --> 00:51:48,480
He thought we were from the police.
743
00:51:50,750 --> 00:51:53,076
What's his name?
744
00:51:53,100 --> 00:51:55,370
How old is.
745
00:51:58,510 --> 00:52:00,310
- Fifteen.
- Fifteen.
746
00:52:00,890 --> 00:52:02,340
Is his family here?
747
00:52:13,310 --> 00:52:15,866
He doesn't have a family here.
748
00:52:15,890 --> 00:52:18,976
He's here only because
of the dredger owner.
749
00:52:19,000 --> 00:52:20,750
He's an employee.
750
00:52:21,440 --> 00:52:24,386
At 15, he's too young to work,
751
00:52:24,410 --> 00:52:28,486
even if the dredge operations
here were fully legal.
752
00:52:28,510 --> 00:52:29,750
Does he like being out here?
753
00:52:33,310 --> 00:52:35,316
He says, "Yeah. He works here."
754
00:52:35,340 --> 00:52:39,720
"He makes some money. He helps
his grandmother." And that's it. Yeah.
755
00:52:43,240 --> 00:52:45,310
Can you tell him it was
really nice to meet him?
756
00:52:48,860 --> 00:52:50,860
He's very happy to meet you.
757
00:52:52,370 --> 00:52:55,130
He thought he never had a
chance, like, to meet you in his life.
758
00:53:01,960 --> 00:53:03,146
So, when we are talking with him,
759
00:53:03,170 --> 00:53:05,146
we are... I mean,
we are just, like, making fun,
760
00:53:05,170 --> 00:53:06,596
saying, "Hey, good luck to you.
761
00:53:06,620 --> 00:53:09,176
I mean, maybe, someday,
you meet Parker again."
762
00:53:09,200 --> 00:53:11,866
Things like that. But then,
when you leave, you know,
763
00:53:11,890 --> 00:53:13,310
it's pretty hard.
764
00:53:14,750 --> 00:53:18,790
At a moment, like, I mean, I can
control myself. But then, it's hard.
765
00:53:19,580 --> 00:53:22,030
He's by himself here. He's just a kid.
766
00:53:26,060 --> 00:53:27,480
Yeah.
767
00:53:30,310 --> 00:53:32,656
He's such a young dude with,
like, life ahead of him.
768
00:53:32,680 --> 00:53:36,076
But it feels a bit sad,
sort of coming away from this
769
00:53:36,100 --> 00:53:38,240
- and leaving him there, in a way.
- -Yah.
770
00:53:39,550 --> 00:53:43,176
That kid, very sweet boy. He's 15.
771
00:53:43,200 --> 00:53:46,146
You can tell he's been through
a lot, but has a very nice soul.
772
00:53:46,170 --> 00:53:48,526
And I feel bad for him.
773
00:53:48,550 --> 00:53:53,176
This is a rough environment for a
kid, particularly it being illegal mining.
774
00:53:53,200 --> 00:53:57,416
It makes you think we're, like,
extremely lucky to be born where we are
775
00:53:57,440 --> 00:54:00,720
and to the parents we have, right?
776
00:54:02,890 --> 00:54:04,386
But, here,
777
00:54:04,410 --> 00:54:07,726
he's sending money home to his
grandma, he has a community with him,
778
00:54:07,750 --> 00:54:09,100
people that care about him.
779
00:54:12,620 --> 00:54:14,766
Where the everyday people are,
780
00:54:14,790 --> 00:54:17,866
we get to see their lives
and their struggles.
781
00:54:17,890 --> 00:54:22,216
Mining is just such a fascinating
way of looking into that,
782
00:54:22,240 --> 00:54:24,410
and looking into the culture of a country.
783
00:54:26,060 --> 00:54:28,106
I think, now, I'm interested in, like,
784
00:54:28,130 --> 00:54:30,656
where we can have more involvement.
785
00:54:30,680 --> 00:54:33,866
We should try to angle towards
some of the more legal stuff, I think.
786
00:54:33,890 --> 00:54:35,100
Yeah, definitely.
787
00:54:39,620 --> 00:54:41,146
The storm is coming.
788
00:54:41,170 --> 00:54:44,976
Still a full day's journey
away from civilization,
789
00:54:45,000 --> 00:54:46,960
the crew must take shelter.
790
00:54:48,130 --> 00:54:49,796
If we wanted to stay the night out here,
791
00:54:49,820 --> 00:54:51,620
is there a place that we can do that?
792
00:55:00,480 --> 00:55:01,930
Is it comfortable?
793
00:55:06,370 --> 00:55:08,240
We'll survive without a pool.
794
00:55:11,820 --> 00:55:13,200
Mate.
795
00:55:14,620 --> 00:55:16,696
- That is awesome.
- That's nice.
796
00:55:16,720 --> 00:55:18,240
That's really cool.
797
00:55:19,370 --> 00:55:22,246
These traditional live-aboard riverboats
798
00:55:22,270 --> 00:55:24,796
are a common sight
on the Madeira River,
799
00:55:24,820 --> 00:55:27,556
offering refuge in the
middle of the wilderness.
800
00:55:27,580 --> 00:55:30,580
Wow! We got here on the right time.
801
00:55:32,310 --> 00:55:34,620
Okay, check it out.
802
00:55:36,100 --> 00:55:37,170
I got it.
803
00:55:37,890 --> 00:55:39,346
Look at this.
804
00:55:39,370 --> 00:55:42,036
Did you have a little look around?
805
00:55:42,060 --> 00:55:46,246
I want port on the way out and
starboard on the way home, okay?
806
00:55:46,270 --> 00:55:49,726
Look at this.
My guess is, that's pretty loud.
807
00:55:49,750 --> 00:55:51,750
My guess is that it doesn't work.
808
00:55:53,030 --> 00:55:55,440
It does.
809
00:56:02,000 --> 00:56:06,030
Thirty seconds ago, you could
see the other side of the river.
810
00:56:06,960 --> 00:56:08,270
And now, it's dark.
811
00:56:15,130 --> 00:56:16,866
What'd you do with the rum, Dan?
812
00:56:16,890 --> 00:56:19,216
It's just in the side of the bag.
813
00:56:19,240 --> 00:56:22,076
Are you talking about? Which backpack?
814
00:56:22,100 --> 00:56:25,696
Right. So, if I go over and it's
just sat there in the side pocket...
815
00:56:25,720 --> 00:56:29,976
- It's there. It's there.
- Well, say it's there.
816
00:56:30,000 --> 00:56:32,006
Use your eyes.
817
00:56:32,030 --> 00:56:35,370
Do your own.
I'm not, I'm not the bartender.
818
00:56:46,370 --> 00:56:49,726
But... I mean, the problem, for
me, with a lot of this kind of stuff,
819
00:56:49,750 --> 00:56:53,936
is that we can't really get that
involved because it's illegal, right?
820
00:56:53,960 --> 00:56:55,656
- Yeah.
- Like, I want to kind of get,
821
00:56:55,680 --> 00:56:58,626
- like, more in the nitty gritty side of it.
- Yeah. I mean...
822
00:56:58,650 --> 00:57:01,410
Can you ask if there's
any legal operations around?
823
00:57:11,440 --> 00:57:15,246
Yeah. He says, like, in the river,
there are some legal areas there
824
00:57:15,270 --> 00:57:16,866
where we could explore a little bit.
825
00:57:16,890 --> 00:57:20,286
The last thing I want to do is end up
on the wrong side of the law. Again.
826
00:57:20,310 --> 00:57:21,726
Okay.
827
00:57:21,750 --> 00:57:26,076
With just 6% of the Madeira
River approved for mining,
828
00:57:26,100 --> 00:57:30,216
tomorrow, Fabiano will
take the crew over 20 miles
829
00:57:30,240 --> 00:57:32,720
to the nearest legalized zone.
830
00:57:38,750 --> 00:57:41,000
- He says, yes.
- More than here?
831
00:57:44,240 --> 00:57:47,416
Okay.
832
00:57:47,440 --> 00:57:48,976
- Okay.
- Should we get ready for bed?
833
00:57:49,000 --> 00:57:50,036
Yeah.
834
00:57:50,060 --> 00:57:52,200
- I'm pretty wiped out.
- I'm tired. Yeah.
835
00:58:07,750 --> 00:58:08,790
Who is it?
836
00:58:30,310 --> 00:58:32,246
He says there are pirates,
like, around here.
837
00:58:32,270 --> 00:58:34,440
- They can just come.
- Pirates?
838
00:58:48,650 --> 00:58:50,036
Who is it?
839
00:58:50,060 --> 00:58:51,766
On a houseboat,
840
00:58:51,790 --> 00:58:54,860
deep in illegal gold mining territory.
841
00:58:56,310 --> 00:58:57,580
Parker and crew
842
00:58:59,060 --> 00:59:01,680
are approached by an unknown boat.
843
00:59:22,860 --> 00:59:26,036
So, they're, like, just
looking for fuel, it seems.
844
00:59:26,060 --> 00:59:28,650
Okay.
845
00:59:32,580 --> 00:59:34,270
Really?
846
00:59:35,510 --> 00:59:36,510
Do they kill people?
847
00:59:53,750 --> 00:59:56,416
And I really don't know how
how our night is gonna be.
848
00:59:56,440 --> 00:59:59,976
We're anchored in one side of the river.
849
01:00:00,000 --> 01:00:03,246
So, if someone was intending to just try
850
01:00:03,270 --> 01:00:05,836
something bad against us,
851
01:00:05,860 --> 01:00:08,836
we have no escaping routes right now.
852
01:00:08,860 --> 01:00:11,656
So, hopefully, nothing is going to happen
853
01:00:11,680 --> 01:00:15,106
because, I think,
there's not much we can do.
854
01:00:15,130 --> 01:00:17,976
All right. Let's get these hammocks out.
855
01:00:18,000 --> 01:00:20,216
- Is this where we're sleeping?
- Yep.
856
01:00:20,240 --> 01:00:23,930
Just let the mosquitoes destroy us?
857
01:00:26,440 --> 01:00:29,726
My back's gonna be destroyed tomorrow.
858
01:00:29,750 --> 01:00:31,216
Good night. Good night.
859
01:00:31,240 --> 01:00:33,270
Good night. Good night.
Thanks, Fabiano.
860
01:00:35,550 --> 01:00:37,416
I'm gonna turn this light off.
861
01:00:37,440 --> 01:00:39,310
I'm gonna be electrocuted.
862
01:00:42,130 --> 01:00:43,796
- Good night.
- Nighty night.
863
01:00:43,820 --> 01:00:45,416
I'll leave this live electrical cord
864
01:00:45,440 --> 01:00:47,726
just attached to the end
of your hammock, all right?
865
01:00:47,750 --> 01:00:50,620
- Thank you, my guy. I appreciate...
- Yeah. No worries.
866
01:00:53,720 --> 01:00:57,100
We're sitting in hammocks,
floating downriver.
867
01:00:58,340 --> 01:01:00,216
There's pirates.
868
01:01:00,240 --> 01:01:01,976
There's the potential for the authorities
869
01:01:02,000 --> 01:01:05,936
to turn up at any moment
and start blowing everything up.
870
01:01:05,960 --> 01:01:09,000
And that's their lives, 24-7 here.
871
01:01:10,580 --> 01:01:12,836
Yeah, the trip has been
a bit of a whirlwind so far.
872
01:01:12,860 --> 01:01:14,626
A lot of illegal mining.
873
01:01:14,650 --> 01:01:18,976
We'll see. Hopefully, we can get
into some more legal mining areas
874
01:01:19,000 --> 01:01:22,656
that are a bit more relatable,
and something that we can,
875
01:01:22,680 --> 01:01:24,596
you know, get involved in,
876
01:01:24,620 --> 01:01:27,890
and really... assess what's going on.
877
01:01:29,790 --> 01:01:31,310
So, let's see what we find.
878
01:01:46,580 --> 01:01:48,060
Fabiano.
879
01:01:48,650 --> 01:01:50,146
Bom dia.
880
01:01:50,170 --> 01:01:53,456
- Okay. All right.
- We've got to get on the move.
881
01:01:53,480 --> 01:01:54,680
We've got to go.
882
01:01:55,410 --> 01:01:56,620
Buddy...
883
01:01:57,790 --> 01:01:58,767
Ready?
884
01:01:58,791 --> 01:02:01,006
- Fed, watered, ready to go?
- -Yeah.
885
01:02:01,030 --> 01:02:02,286
Okay, let's get out of here.
886
01:02:02,310 --> 01:02:04,726
I'm ready to stop hitting
my head on everything.
887
01:02:04,750 --> 01:02:06,130
It's your fault for being so tall.
888
01:02:14,030 --> 01:02:18,526
So, guys, I'm getting a lot of
people posting on social media
889
01:02:18,550 --> 01:02:19,596
that Parker is around.
890
01:02:19,620 --> 01:02:22,626
So, we actually need
to be really careful now.
891
01:02:22,650 --> 01:02:25,906
Because we're in, you know,
in a risky place.
892
01:02:25,930 --> 01:02:28,526
And if people know we're here,
that's even worse for us.
893
01:02:28,550 --> 01:02:32,936
So, let's try to play it safe
and... just pay attention to detail.
894
01:02:32,960 --> 01:02:36,006
If word is spreading
that Parker is in the area,
895
01:02:36,030 --> 01:02:39,216
it could make the crew
a target on the river.
896
01:02:39,240 --> 01:02:40,720
Word's out?
897
01:02:42,030 --> 01:02:43,580
It would appear so.
898
01:03:03,750 --> 01:03:05,836
- Finally.
- Finally. Exactly.
899
01:03:05,860 --> 01:03:07,626
Finally.
900
01:03:07,650 --> 01:03:10,370
Put you to work where you belong.
901
01:03:12,000 --> 01:03:13,766
According to Fabiano,
902
01:03:13,790 --> 01:03:17,346
the mega dredges that dominate
the legal section of the river
903
01:03:17,370 --> 01:03:22,486
can each bring in tens of
millions of dollars in gold each year.
904
01:03:22,510 --> 01:03:25,796
Like, obviously, there is sections
of the river where it's legal.
905
01:03:25,820 --> 01:03:30,036
And that warrants a proper
investment by the owners
906
01:03:30,060 --> 01:03:32,076
to have, like, a big, proper legal setup
907
01:03:32,100 --> 01:03:33,976
that's not going to get
blown up by the police,
908
01:03:34,000 --> 01:03:38,726
and that is obviously
much more attractive,
909
01:03:38,750 --> 01:03:40,960
both from a mining
and an investing standpoint.
910
01:03:57,000 --> 01:03:59,410
- Yeah.
- -That's really strong gasoline.
911
01:04:06,510 --> 01:04:09,076
Maybe because of the storm yesterday.
912
01:04:09,100 --> 01:04:10,480
We actually need to be careful.
913
01:04:15,000 --> 01:04:16,030
Got it.
914
01:04:22,820 --> 01:04:26,060
With word out that Parker is on the river
915
01:04:28,960 --> 01:04:31,006
the team must stay on the move.
916
01:04:31,030 --> 01:04:33,866
I think we need to be careful
because we are surrounded
917
01:04:33,890 --> 01:04:37,656
by gold smugglers,
illegal operations, pirates.
918
01:04:37,680 --> 01:04:39,890
So, I don't think it's safe for us.
919
01:04:43,580 --> 01:04:45,000
It's in neutral.
920
01:04:48,790 --> 01:04:50,650
I thought you didn't
know anything about boats.
921
01:04:53,820 --> 01:04:56,216
You little fibber, you.
922
01:04:56,240 --> 01:04:59,650
Good hands.
923
01:05:13,720 --> 01:05:16,860
It's one of the biggest dredges
that they have here around.
924
01:05:18,960 --> 01:05:22,106
- Wow.
- It's huge.
925
01:05:22,130 --> 01:05:24,240
My God. Look at that, Diego.
926
01:05:25,170 --> 01:05:28,146
That's massive!
927
01:05:28,170 --> 01:05:31,526
Measuring four and a
half thousand square feet,
928
01:05:31,550 --> 01:05:34,836
the Evolution dredge is one of the largest
929
01:05:34,860 --> 01:05:37,176
mining for gold on the Madeira River.
930
01:05:37,200 --> 01:05:39,130
"Draga Evolution."
931
01:05:45,370 --> 01:05:46,410
Wow.
932
01:05:50,410 --> 01:05:53,976
After two days chasing
gold on the Madeira River,
933
01:05:54,000 --> 01:05:57,960
Fabiano brings Parker
to the Evolution dredge.
934
01:06:12,000 --> 01:06:14,176
- Straight away.
- Straight away. Yeah.
935
01:06:14,200 --> 01:06:15,246
Perfect.
936
01:06:15,270 --> 01:06:16,556
This massive operation...
937
01:06:16,580 --> 01:06:18,346
Let's get into it.
938
01:06:18,370 --> 01:06:23,620
Will give him the chance to see how much
gold can be mined legally on the river.
939
01:06:25,100 --> 01:06:27,106
I've spent millions
of dollars on exploration.
940
01:06:27,130 --> 01:06:31,526
So, I have a pretty good feel for
what an opportunity kind of looks like,
941
01:06:31,550 --> 01:06:36,340
and that there could be, like, an
actual, feasible business opportunity here.
942
01:06:37,200 --> 01:06:38,596
Hey, man, how are you?
943
01:06:38,620 --> 01:06:41,076
Built on an industrial scale,
944
01:06:41,100 --> 01:06:43,976
the Evolution dredge
is a metal construction
945
01:06:44,000 --> 01:06:47,680
at least five times the size
of the illegal dredges.
946
01:06:49,930 --> 01:06:54,930
It's a 24-7 operation
run by a crew of just six.
947
01:06:58,410 --> 01:06:59,626
The engines.
948
01:06:59,650 --> 01:07:01,200
Why do they have two engines?
949
01:07:09,370 --> 01:07:11,930
This one is the one
that makes the suction.
950
01:07:17,440 --> 01:07:20,246
This one rotates this piece
951
01:07:20,270 --> 01:07:23,036
- this piece here that they call "the pineapple.
- " -Gotcha.
952
01:07:23,060 --> 01:07:25,316
- The pineapple?
- -They call it "the pineapple."
953
01:07:25,340 --> 01:07:27,370
- I like that.
- It turns the pineapple. Yeah.
954
01:07:28,790 --> 01:07:31,216
The pineapple is a sharp cutter head
955
01:07:31,240 --> 01:07:34,890
at the end of a
98-foot-long hydraulic crane.
956
01:07:36,410 --> 01:07:40,286
When the crane arm is lowered,
the pineapple spins,
957
01:07:40,310 --> 01:07:42,626
churning up the gold-rich riverbed,
958
01:07:42,650 --> 01:07:46,340
which is sucked up
its 18-inch diameter pipe.
959
01:07:48,890 --> 01:07:51,596
A second pump pulls in clean water
960
01:07:51,620 --> 01:07:56,346
that mixes with the pay gravel
and takes it up to the sluice,
961
01:07:56,370 --> 01:08:00,820
where heavy gold drops out of
the slurry and is caught in the mats.
962
01:08:28,200 --> 01:08:30,130
As the engine fires up,
963
01:08:31,370 --> 01:08:34,240
the suction hose is lowered manually,
964
01:08:37,270 --> 01:08:42,370
delivering 2,500 gallons of
water per minute up to the sluice.
965
01:09:09,240 --> 01:09:10,510
How?
966
01:09:20,510 --> 01:09:23,106
Driven by a 700 horsepower engine,
967
01:09:23,130 --> 01:09:26,176
the rotating pineapple gives the Evolution
968
01:09:26,200 --> 01:09:29,036
an edge over the other dredgers.
969
01:09:29,060 --> 01:09:32,656
Burrowing down into the
harder-packed layer of the riverbed,
970
01:09:32,680 --> 01:09:37,526
it can churn up more material
and increase the gold potential.
971
01:09:37,550 --> 01:09:42,030
This is an industrial level floating dredge.
972
01:09:42,620 --> 01:09:44,416
Two engines,
973
01:09:44,440 --> 01:09:48,106
1,500 liters of fuel used every day.
974
01:09:48,130 --> 01:09:50,246
They run 20 hours a day.
975
01:09:50,270 --> 01:09:53,766
In the four hours they're,
like, resting, they're actually
976
01:09:53,790 --> 01:09:55,680
taking care of the equipment.
977
01:09:59,790 --> 01:10:02,106
Finally, we're in a legal mining site,
978
01:10:02,130 --> 01:10:04,680
but this is like from another planet.
979
01:10:25,790 --> 01:10:28,836
At its peak, the Evolution can bring in
980
01:10:28,860 --> 01:10:32,006
over $32,000 a day.
981
01:10:32,030 --> 01:10:34,286
The nice thing about dredges
from an investing standpoint
982
01:10:34,310 --> 01:10:36,106
is, they're very simple.
983
01:10:36,130 --> 01:10:38,976
You know, you're not buying, like,
a bunch of excavators, and dozers,
984
01:10:39,000 --> 01:10:41,556
and pumps, and generators,
and wash plants, like...
985
01:10:41,580 --> 01:10:44,340
Everything is on the ship.
986
01:10:45,960 --> 01:10:49,416
To reach the
$10,000,000-a-year potential,
987
01:10:49,440 --> 01:10:51,820
the crew leave nothing to chance.
988
01:10:56,750 --> 01:10:58,866
Probably the most interesting
thing about these dredgers
989
01:10:58,890 --> 01:11:00,526
is they have a testing method
where they have
990
01:11:00,550 --> 01:11:03,656
that tube that comes out
from the feed box,
991
01:11:03,680 --> 01:11:05,836
and it, like, takes off a little bit of the pay,
992
01:11:05,860 --> 01:11:08,416
and just puts it into a gold
pan in a little box next to you.
993
01:11:08,440 --> 01:11:11,596
And they pan that to test the
ground that they're dredging.
994
01:11:11,620 --> 01:11:14,510
So, you can see what's
happening. I quite like that.
995
01:11:18,960 --> 01:11:24,030
Operations manager, Claudinay,
checks the first pan of the day.
996
01:11:59,720 --> 01:12:03,030
To move the 110-foot-long dredger,
997
01:12:03,720 --> 01:12:05,796
That's it. All shut down.
998
01:12:05,820 --> 01:12:09,596
Owner, Aldo, uses a
400 horsepower tugboat
999
01:12:09,620 --> 01:12:13,650
that pushes the floating gold
catching platform from behind.
1000
01:12:38,000 --> 01:12:41,750
By far, my favorite part of this
whole thing has been the tugboats.
1001
01:12:42,410 --> 01:12:44,836
I love those things. They're sick.
1002
01:12:44,860 --> 01:12:46,310
And I want one.
1003
01:12:59,750 --> 01:13:02,556
They've got some grunt,
these things, don't they?
1004
01:13:02,580 --> 01:13:05,480
That's a wicked noise that
makes when you pull that handle.
1005
01:13:20,270 --> 01:13:21,820
Let's go find some gold.
1006
01:13:26,100 --> 01:13:27,976
On Brazil's Madeira River,
1007
01:13:28,000 --> 01:13:32,550
Parker discovers dredge
owner, Aldo, is a Gold Rush fan.
1008
01:13:39,580 --> 01:13:42,726
He was telling me, like, when
we were inside the dredge,
1009
01:13:42,750 --> 01:13:45,836
he really wanted to go to Alaska
1010
01:13:45,860 --> 01:13:47,860
- to know your operation.
- You should come.
1011
01:13:55,030 --> 01:13:56,340
- He can visit you?
- -Yeah.
1012
01:14:05,790 --> 01:14:09,146
He wants to know if you get along well
1013
01:14:09,170 --> 01:14:12,550
- with Tony... Tony Beets.
- That's a big question.
1014
01:14:13,200 --> 01:14:14,340
Sometimes.
1015
01:14:16,440 --> 01:14:18,100
All right. Where are we going?
1016
01:14:38,480 --> 01:14:42,726
Along the golden highway
of Brazil's Madeira river,
1017
01:14:42,750 --> 01:14:47,510
Parker Schnabel pushes a
60-ton dredge in the hunt for gold.
1018
01:15:10,130 --> 01:15:14,176
Gold released from the Andes
flows into the Madeira river,
1019
01:15:14,200 --> 01:15:18,976
where it's deposited in pockets
along its 2,000-mile course.
1020
01:15:19,000 --> 01:15:22,766
Parker must direct the dredge
to a spot near the banks
1021
01:15:22,790 --> 01:15:27,036
where the river slows and
the heavier gold naturally drops,
1022
01:15:27,060 --> 01:15:29,580
creating the famous hot spots.
1023
01:15:33,930 --> 01:15:36,310
All right, Diego. Drop your pineapple.
1024
01:15:41,960 --> 01:15:43,930
Okay. Pineapple going down.
1025
01:15:54,310 --> 01:15:55,976
They've got an interesting setup here,
1026
01:15:56,000 --> 01:15:58,936
where they have
a second engine running,
1027
01:15:58,960 --> 01:16:02,246
pumping water down to the pineapple.
1028
01:16:02,270 --> 01:16:05,696
The suction. I like the word, pineapple.
1029
01:16:05,720 --> 01:16:08,146
You can get quite a bit
more volume of material.
1030
01:16:08,170 --> 01:16:10,246
At least that's what it seems like so far.
1031
01:16:10,270 --> 01:16:12,246
It's a fair bit different,
like, I would say that
1032
01:16:12,270 --> 01:16:15,696
this one definitely costs a lot
more to run. They find more gold.
1033
01:16:15,720 --> 01:16:17,960
But it's bigger. It's
1034
01:16:19,550 --> 01:16:20,960
more comfortable.
1035
01:16:25,480 --> 01:16:28,526
After 30 minutes
of running, it's time to see
1036
01:16:28,550 --> 01:16:31,820
if Parker has got
the crew back on the gold.
1037
01:16:41,550 --> 01:16:43,060
Yeah.
1038
01:16:43,750 --> 01:16:45,240
Yeah.
1039
01:16:45,930 --> 01:16:48,510
That's great. That's great.
1040
01:16:52,170 --> 01:16:54,860
Is that from here?
1041
01:17:02,200 --> 01:17:04,796
This much gold in a single pan
1042
01:17:04,820 --> 01:17:09,270
could see them pull in
around $10,000 today.
1043
01:17:17,440 --> 01:17:19,386
It seems like these
guys are doing quite well
1044
01:17:19,410 --> 01:17:20,976
and got things sorted out.
1045
01:17:21,000 --> 01:17:23,310
And the ground that they're
dredging looks quite good.
1046
01:17:25,240 --> 01:17:28,766
But it's not something
that really interests me
1047
01:17:28,790 --> 01:17:32,386
from, like, an ownership
or an equity standpoint.
1048
01:17:32,410 --> 01:17:37,596
One of the big issues for me in
countries that I'm not familiar with
1049
01:17:37,620 --> 01:17:40,596
is, what is the regulatory risk?
1050
01:17:40,620 --> 01:17:43,766
If I end up mining in an area
that, right now, is legal,
1051
01:17:43,790 --> 01:17:45,696
could it be illegal next year, right?
1052
01:17:45,720 --> 01:17:47,556
I'm usually looking to get involved
1053
01:17:47,580 --> 01:17:50,106
in something that I, like,
have something to offer,
1054
01:17:50,130 --> 01:17:52,456
and I don't have anything
to offer here, you know.
1055
01:17:52,480 --> 01:17:54,936
These guys are way
more experienced than I am.
1056
01:17:54,960 --> 01:17:57,556
- Nice one.
- Nice one, right?
1057
01:17:57,580 --> 01:17:59,976
- It was good.
- Yeah, that was good.
1058
01:18:00,000 --> 01:18:03,556
But this was very cool to see,
and I think that mining is
1059
01:18:03,580 --> 01:18:06,000
a big part of the country. So.
1060
01:18:07,030 --> 01:18:08,550
I think we're on the right track.
1061
01:18:09,620 --> 01:18:10,790
Yeah.
1062
01:18:11,790 --> 01:18:13,346
Those guys were fun.
1063
01:18:13,370 --> 01:18:15,000
Yeah. Good group.
1064
01:18:15,790 --> 01:18:17,796
And I think,
when it comes to gold mining,
1065
01:18:17,820 --> 01:18:20,076
we're in the right place, that's for sure.
1066
01:18:20,100 --> 01:18:22,246
There's a lot happening around here.
1067
01:18:22,270 --> 01:18:25,030
It's nice to finally do something legal.
1068
01:18:29,310 --> 01:18:31,076
What do you think about today?
1069
01:18:31,100 --> 01:18:33,480
I loved today. Yeah, it was great.
1070
01:18:43,960 --> 01:18:45,820
It's... That goes both ways.
1071
01:18:59,100 --> 01:19:00,100
No, it's not.
1072
01:19:07,960 --> 01:19:10,216
Hey, guys...
1073
01:19:10,240 --> 01:19:12,550
Stay away from us.
1074
01:19:15,340 --> 01:19:17,766
My.
1075
01:19:17,790 --> 01:19:22,006
On this season of Parker's Trail...
1076
01:19:22,030 --> 01:19:24,480
What the is going on around this place?
1077
01:19:25,410 --> 01:19:26,696
This is wild.
1078
01:19:26,720 --> 01:19:29,890
Billions of dollars worth
of gold got found by hand.
1079
01:19:32,750 --> 01:19:35,370
He's eyeing you right up, Parker.
1080
01:19:44,310 --> 01:19:45,680
Look at these bad boys.
1081
01:19:46,550 --> 01:19:47,960
That is awesome.
1082
01:19:50,620 --> 01:19:52,930
That's a lot of gold. It's crazy.
1083
01:19:55,890 --> 01:19:58,410
What the was that?
1084
01:19:59,650 --> 01:20:01,580
There's a car upside down.
1085
01:20:02,860 --> 01:20:06,030
I really would love to put some
money into something here.
1086
01:20:10,510 --> 01:20:12,030
Well, let's take some microphones off.
84687
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