to go via in northern colombia. beneath these rusty sheds the country's richest

gold mine it's operated by canadian multinational corporation gran colombia gold. today the army has taken over the sector for a high risk mission. transporting the week's production to a safe location. three gold ingots over twenty kilos each. here we have sixty eight kilos truck. that makes one point two million euro. in colombia gold is highly coveted by the criminal organizations. so in order to avoid an ambush the time and day of the transfer or decided at the last minute may i ask you this is the most critical moments you know aside and the gold leaves the factory it up got to be transported to the city of midday in.

the in gets or carried away at a run. the soldiers mark out the course. the operation is completed in four minutes. the precious cargo takes off towards maybe the regional capital from where the gold will be exported. this ago via gold mines are the oldest ones in south america they were owned for a long time by an english company frontino gold mines but in two thousand and ten and gran colombia gold bought the entire concession. thanks to different teano mines the canada based multinational has become colombia's leading gold producer in two thousand and eleven. two and a half tons of yellow metal came out of these furnaces the checks are very strict everyone has body searched including the boss just things about. d.n.a.

to my friend the vice president of gone colombia moreover has a pre-destined name who's a over zero zero zero being the spanish word for gold. thanks a lot see you later my friend. who's a or always cuban to label former comrades or fidel castro he made the transition from marxism to capitalism with the greatest of ease. for him colombia is the new eldorado. it's very profitable to invest in colombia we did very profitable and there's a very high return on investment and a large reserves of natural resources to exploit that all human and what's more the easy resources they want to fight in other countries by all the fruit on the lower branches of the tree has been eaten and the only fruit left is at the top. whereas here there's still a lot of fruit left to pick up. but for the time being grown colombia is

obliged to share its fruit while officially wholly owns the enormous ago via deposit illegal mines have sprung up like mushrooms all over its concession. rafael to bone he's a manager of. an illegal mind that has developed into a small company he and his partners were employed by the former company frontino gold mines bought out by grown colombia they've set up their activity here without authorisation. i guess i gotta tell right i couldn't understand it that it everyone works on the front you know well x. frontino not only they forced us into doing this because they fired us and they threw us out not only got an hour or so we came to find work here. under the virgin mary's protection the miners descend three hundred meters below ground. at the mine bottom air is in short supply. so is the water good. better

than my wife. smiles on their faces but on their backs loads weighing eighty kilos. six eight ten cents per day. before most slave labor that can be fatal due to cave ins and yet there's no shortage of miners wanting to work here some of them can earn up to two thousand euros a month four times the average salary in colombia. meter after meter the column moves forward gold is embedded everywhere in the rock. miles and miles of these galleries eat away a growing columbia's concession. it seems that is mine is. that by the way all this belongs to the people not to the company. so that you know how we break it all back to own up a source. of such suffering to be illegal that isn't even the.

inside as on the outside it's the same anger because gone colombia is requesting that these illegal mines be closed down. it's all right for the long run with the new countries the doors there you know they come with new technologies to steal the riches of the colombian. yes distil it's ours. as that lady says they come to steal what's ours because all of this is ours. this is how we make our living from salvaging rocks. if the illegal mines close down everyone will lose their livelihood the miners but also thousands of women who sort through the rock debris where bits of gold can still be found. well and twenty four years old and have been working at the mine for ten years i

asked imagine if they close down the mine what would we do. we'd be forced to leave to go you know will we go this is where the money is. what the. fifty or so illegal mines such as they'll cho-cho are existing on borrowed time and this a go over your area. and as the price of the yellow metal continues to soar on world markets so a goalie is experiencing a new lease on life people are coming out here from all over the country to seek their fortunes. a modern day gold rush in the heart of war played colombia. from the old children mine bianca carries bags of rocks to these antiquated mills. the rock is ground up for hours. to extract the gold particles a dangerous product is used mercury. this

gray paste is obtained which contains the gold. we should wear long gloves and even masks but nobody uses any form of protection anyone just ignores the danger. and that's the way that people get older around here their hands start tremble. nervous disorders memory loss fix of mercury are devastating in the air in the water insecure via mercury is omnipresent it's one of the most contaminated zones in the world. these small scale miners sell their gold. to merchants gold is exchanged for large wads of notes. so here everyone protects their business.

this is to protect myself from thieves have already been held up twice. the mercury evaporates and the heat of the blow torches leaving behind the yellow metal which will be melted down into ingots this is how the gold from the illegal mines provides a livelihood force a go vias fifty thousand inhabitants. a parallel economy that has a oro had of gone colombia wants to eradicate completely. little by little we're going to regain control we have to do away with all of this but at the same time we have to give the people work opportunities. for his safety jose or all right around in an armored four by four he wants to show us that he's perfectly at ease and to go via that he's at home here everywhere even at the

barber shop. if. someone wants to say hello does that mean my go to the major ally you. let me introduce you to some french journalists a major is the chief of the city police is a very good friend of ours. we have a contract with the police a contract with the army a contract with the city hall. that we also have a school that we finance them. the company finances the police and the army which in exchange ensures that security but the company also uses its dollars to win over the inhabitants its latest project a local radio station. a little muscle for you we've been the victim of a very strong demonization campaign you know we think that thanks to the raid. we're going to be able to change all that. but they have a good those facilities so if anyone wants to try to compete with this sort of

influencing the population and i'm sorry but they love all they're going to lose the main goal is to make it one of the things that. while waiting to impose its power through the radio the multinational begins by imposing it through force. is just a look at it we've been ordered to close down these lines. and for that one but it's out we can count on the support of the employees of britain colombia which owns the mining rights in this region. the company lends them its premises and is present during the whole operation. first target an illegal tunnel on the outskirts of town. weapons in hand the policeman besieged the mine the situation soon gets heated.

up and i'm asking you the question do you have a mining permit. no one has a permit i applied for one but they never gave it to me. assholes we're going to start standing up that's how it is that all of you want us to want to work so we're going to steal and kill or we'll start drug trafficking. and. i think the only civilian amongst the policeman an engineer from gong colombia guides the troops now a list of the mines to be closed down is displayed on his mobile phone screen. to get him up if you want to take advantage of daylight we should continue on right away. ok let's go let's go now meaning. but the operation is cut short the policeman fear a clash with the miners they contend. themselves with carting away a dozen or so of them back to the police station the police also seize the dynamite

used to blast the tunnels. and. bottles is a minor protests he was in the middle of negotiations with kong colombia to legalize his money. i mean let us think it as proof he holds out a business card in the name of. the head of the multinational into go.

you're. in it not. it appears that jose oro is far from having won over to go via. today may the first the employees are gone colombia are out in the street they're demanding wage increases. small scale miners and local inhabitants are demonstrating alongside them. amidst the crowd one man personifies the revolt of the entire town and you

know you know. one thing that you know. that. the euro rule is president of that's a go be a mine workers union today he's the multinationals leading adversary he contest the company's right to operate this a go via mines which up until two thousand and ten belong to different you know company he speaks of theft one third artist i mean other by giving the mines of the front you know gold mines company to a multinational they have violated all rights to the money stolen patrimony that belong soley to the workers to the retired workers and to all the people of sago of the out. a speech that he repeats cecily in front of the microphones and film cameras. rising is that then what do we demand is the most that we demand that once and for all they give us back the front you know mines you know those they are ours . it would seem that the mines belong to the employees to prove it.

takes us to his office he wants to show us a document that he keeps preciously notarize act dating back to one nine hundred seventy nine. at that time frontino was in dire financial straits and it's english and american owners wanted to leave colombia but they owed years of on. paid wages to their employees so from their head office in new york they decided to bequeath the company and all its mines to them it's all there in black and white. mayor don't document this by way of this document signed in the presence of a notary in new york. it's now known as the new york act. is there it is all mental is through this that the donation was made to the workers say by way of payment. the new york act orders the managers or from tino to transfer all the property to

the workers and retired workers or to their unions it was authentic aided by the colombian consulate in one thousand nine hundred nine the document was then handed over to the government which was responsible for announcing the good news to the miners get us there what happened then. and then says trade ministry and minister did that all employment ministry at the time and the columbia consulate in new york kept this document secret do you see. for twenty years the workers were unaware the frontino had between them the mines the company was run by local managers who got richer and richer wagon after wagon. but in two thousand while searching through the archives of the ministry of economy by pure chance a trade unionist and earth's the new york act from then on the workers are going to do everything in their power to recover frontino. but they have a dangerous man to contend with

a certain carlos mario humanise alias macaco the macaque at the head of a paramilitary group of five thousand men he controls the entire region from the cocaine trafficking to the gold production activities. macaco is a bad time one of the unofficial owners of the frontino minds he operates them illegally by way of frontman. the hind all our gold you know and all our riches are the economic interests of armed groups like the paramilitaries. paramilitary groups such as macaco as were organized by rich landowners to control the marxist guerrilla group the fox. they terrorized the country for twenty years. often with the backing of the regular army. it since ago via moreover where they perpetrate one of their first massacres in one nine hundred

eighty eight forty three people are killed in the town center their favorite targets the trade unionists and leftist political activists. since that time the trade union leaders such as the euro ruah received death threats on a regular basis for their protection bodyguards permanently accompany them wherever they go. in the early two thousand the trade unionists come up against the paramilitary leader macaco hold over the sea go via mines. they see their frontino heritage escape them little by little this territory rich in gold. so they take their case to court and the court rules in their favor. over those go a court and they don't mean a court that deals with matters relating to labor disputes rendered its decision at

the end of two thousand and six and recognize that the minds of the front two new gold mines company belong exclusively to the workers and retired workers in tell us about it in the face of the city and in two thousand and seven the supreme court of justice confirmed that decision. but strangely enough it's the colombian government that opposes frontino being given to the workers it appeals and manages to overturn all the decisions in favor of the trade unionists and the government at the time is led by president alvaro. he becomes personally involved in the case the frontier no company is overindebted he places it under direct control of the state. they've been seeing down but already. gay's day the president. it was from this region was very preoccupied and. nationality he had managed to resolve the major problems of the country but not those of his own regions. and this was like

a thorn in his side for him it's been and for all. but over a rebate has to deal with macaco the local paramilitary leader he names a commission of four experts to advise him on frontino his future according to our investigation three of them have ties with macaco one of them is even his financial advisor role in day amid the heene businessman so here's a man who at the same time advises both the colombian president and a mafia leader as these documents from the chamber of commerce prove at the time the lindy runs at least two of macaco companies they serve as fronts for laundering money from cocaine trafficking. we make an unannounced visit to these mini offices equipped with a hidden camera linda has never been bothered by the legal authorities he wishes to remain discreet. but.

i won't give an interview i'm sorry but no. person to feel important because of the country's political situation you know work and now that president or e bay is no longer in power. all those who helped are now being persecuted politically want to. go to a few and we were simply a team of advisors. but the private sector advisors. and we guided the president in his decisions here. but you knew macaco personally. if he was one of my a longstanding customers in the boat tiles for. lindy won't tell us anything more he denies this collude. between the mafia and the government which prevents the unionists from recovering frontino that in two thousand and eight president a rebate is going to become sole game master he manages to eliminate macaco and

washington's request he extradite him to the united states together with the other main paramilitary leaders all accused of drug trafficking macaco is sentenced in florida to thirty three years imprisonment but there's still no question of handing over the mines to the workers the rebate looks for a more powerful investor. trentino fate is sealed in two thousand and ten the government sells the company to a newly set up canada based multinational corporation graham colombia gold in suburbia workers and trade unionists give vent to their anger. in some of these and we believe and are almost sure of it that the president already made it as financial interests in this matter because what he wants in fact is to take our minds into. the unionist accuses of our rebate he can't prove that the ex-president has direct interest in the new company but strangely enough the main winners in this matter or people closely connected to of are

a rebate. at the side of the foreign investors at the head of growing colombia we find mario pacheco his first campaign manager. martinez his minister of mines and more importantly occupying the post of chairman and managing director maria consuelo x. minister of culture and a close friend of the president delighted to celebrate in two thousand and eleven the company's entry into the toronto stock market as a lead role such an act of theft is totally unprecedented. you know not only in colombia but in the world. i've never heard of such a case as ours where so much money and gold has been stolen for so many years. for the managers of the multinational the treed unit claims are without foundation. many people thought that they would obtain this mine defacto. through violence and usurpation. but i think that the colombian government made the right choice and

that they needed a company that had the technical capacity and experience to operate the miners i mean if you know and if we didn't have any enemies unionists or others i mean i would be very worried. that would mean that our minds aren't worth much to me and. how do you explain the death rates received by the trade unionists. not you know no the contrary would be strange you know of year there's nothing unusual about someone receiving a threat. how often have we received threats some people have offered millions were done jose said. i mean if someone receives it right here it's. we don't threaten anyone. the sailor from tino to grand columbia was concluded four months before the end of our own mandate. as a fighter for the people. who have strived for

a safer more prosperous and more just country the former president left power in two thousand and ten he tours around the country to defend his track record long left colombia. still very popular he loves to mingle with the crowd but hates interviews we made several attempts to question him about from tino in vain we made another attempt during a political meeting in the builder taht region was and she go via the workers' union a frontino claim that the company belongs to them and that your government sold it to your friends or you have to say about that mr president soon. as the president there's. no answer but his campaign smile has disappeared we want to give us his version of the facts as for the trade unionists us to go via they continue their combat before the law courts they asked me colombian government

for sixteen billion euros in compensation the value of the gold extracted from their minds over these past thirty years. let me let me i want to know what all let me ask you a question. here on this network as we're having a debate we have our knives out. but if you is the slightest spanking there to get here into play with me i'd like to talk about your neighbor with. more news today violence has once again flared up. these are the images coordinated

and seeing from the streets of canada. china operations are all day.