The Sanchez-Paredes clan, a powerful family in northern Peru, has used gold mining as a front for laundering Drug Trafficking profits. Based in La Libertad, the clan owns several formally registered mining companies, including Comarsa and CIA Minera Aurifera Santa Rosa, which are accused of laundering money through gold exports. According to US and Peruvian investigations, these companies received millions of dollars in wire transfers from US refineries such as Republic Metals Corporation and European buyers like Italpreziosi, under the pretence of buying gold sourced legally. A 2012 investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office linked the clan to US$31 million laundered through US bank accounts, allegedly using front companies to mask the illicit origin of gold. Locally, the clan maintains control over regional mines through intimidation and violence, pushing out smaller operators and coercing workers to accept lower wages during downturns. Though under investigation in both the US and Peru, with Peruvian prosecutors calling for a 28-year prison sentence in 2023, prosecution has stalled for years, reflecting the family’s deep political connections and the structural weaknesses in Peru’s legal system when dealing with elite criminal networks.