Pork Knockers, Powder People, and a “Fully Criminalized State”: The Dynamics of Illicit Financial Flows in the Surinamese Gold Sector

Abstract

Gold is Suriname’s largest export, accounting for more than half of total exports in recent years. Suriname’s modern history has been marked by widespread corruption, economic instability, and state collusion with transnational organized crime networks. In this context, IFFs have flourished, in particular in Suriname’s gold sector. This paper demonstrates how gold has turned Suriname into a regional hub for money laundering and tax evasion operations. While otherwise a small regional power, Suriname’s role in the illicit gold trade extends its influence throughout northern South America and the Caribbean. Estimates of the scale of IFFs in the Surinamese gold sector are provided, as is a detailed account of the various harms of unchecked financial corruption. The paper concludes with concrete policy proposals for limiting the scale of gold-related IFFs in Suriname.