While illegal gold mining is less prevalent in Cambodia than larger-scale regulated operations, it is nonetheless often linked with environmental degradation and pollution. Furthermore, legally mined gold is often smuggled by criminals across borders for sale at a profit, particularly as gold prices in Cambodia are lower than neighbouring countries such as Vietnam. In 2024, Cambodian officials prosecuted numerous individuals for smuggling six tonnes of gold – worth around US$335 million – from Cambodia to Vietnam. The smugglers purchased gold from shops at a market in Phnom Penh, before storing it in hidden compartments under wheelbarrows that carry ice and smuggling the vehicles to an ice-making workshop in Vietnam.
The Environmental Crimes Financial Toolkit is developed by WWF and Themis, supported by the Climate Solutions Partnership, a collaboration between HSBC, World Resources Institute and WWF.
