Middle East: Several international reports and investigations revealed that the UAE is a major partner in smuggling gold from Asian and African countries.

Global economic indicators also confirm the high rates of trade growth in Dubai during the last 5 years, as it has become a magnet for many of the darkest money and criminals in the world, and a safe haven for smuggling money and gold from African and Asian countries, especially those suffering from an unstable political situation. 

An investigation published by the French channel (France 24) in July 2022, entitled “From the Sahel to Dubai: On the trail of dirty gold”, revealed the reasons for the UAE’s looting of the gold of African countries by illegal smuggling.

The United Arab Emirates is being singled out for turning a blind eye to the origin of the gold bars entering its territory. In response, international institutions such as the OECD are calling for stricter industry regulations.

An American investigation revealed a new scandal for the UAE regarding the smuggling of Sudan's gold, in coordination and cooperation with the militias of the Russian Wagner group.

It stated, that the records of the company and the Sudanese government show that one of the gold mines visited by the newspaper - about 10 miles from the town of Al-Ibediyya, in the state - is considered one of the outposts of the Wagner Group, which it described as an opaque network of Russian mercenaries, mining companies and political influence operations in Sudan and the African continent.

The investigation confirmed that most of the gold passes through the Emirates, the main center for unauthorized African gold.

Recently on Thursday, the government of the "Taliban" movement in Afghanistan announced that border guards officers had thwarted the smuggling of 14 kilograms of pure gold to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

The United Arab Emirates is one of the world’s major gold trading hubs, Fair Observer has reported. In 2019, it was the fifth-biggest importer and fourth-biggest exporter globally. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, international demand has surged. But as Reuters reported in 2019, much of this gold is smuggled from West Africa and produced by artisanal and small-scale gold mining, a trade that funds armed conflict, costs producing countries in lost tax revenue and has significant consequences on public health and the environment.

This is a story that has long been in the public domain: In 2020, the Financial Action Task Force published a report that stated: “The UAE’s understanding of the risks it faces from money laundering, terrorist financing and funding of weapons of mass destruction is still emerging … The risks are significant, and result from the UAE’s extensive financial, economic, corporate and trade activities, including as a global leader in oil, diamond and gold exports.”