{"id":55346,"date":"2009-11-30T07:17:00","date_gmt":"2009-11-30T12:17:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/got-balls-and-a-gold-fetish-head-to-afghanistan-and-start-smuggling-to-iran-2009-11"},"modified":"2009-11-30T07:17:00","modified_gmt":"2009-11-30T12:17:00","slug":"got-balls-and-a-gold-fetish-head-to-afghanistan-and-start-smuggling-to-iran","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/55346","title":{"rendered":"Got Balls And A Gold Fetish? Head To Afghanistan, And Start Smuggling To Iran"},"content":{"rendered":"

The world is so thirsty for gold these days, people will pay out the nose and travel to the end of the world looking for it.<\/p>\n

If you’re really desperate, and want an adventure, check out the scene in Afghanistan, where you can make your fortune digging up rocks, and smuggling them.<\/p>\n

Asia Times<\/a>: Mohammad is a smuggler, not an unusual trade for someone living in \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHerat, just 120 kilometers from the border with Iran. But Mohammad is not \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdealing in drugs or weapons, the typical contraband that flows back and forth \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tacross the border. Instead, he is dealing in gold. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

He mines it himself, in Siah Koh (Black Mountain), near to Gulgandi, a remote \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tvillage close to the frontier. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

“I used to see Russian soldiers digging up rocks with gold and copper in them during the [occupation<\/span> of the] 1980s,” he said. “After they \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tleft, I gave it a try, using regular mining tools.” \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Now he digs between 500 grams and one kilogram of gold<\/span> and copper ore every \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tmonth with help from some workers. He smuggles it just across the border<\/span> to \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tIran<\/span> in his Mazda saloon, selling the gold ore for up to 5,000 afghani (US$100) \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tper kilogram and copper ore for 1,800 afghani. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

The area has many unauthorized gold diggers; with little oversight from \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tauthorities due to the insecurity in the area, people can dig up rocks \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tcontaining precious and semi-precious metals and smuggle them to Iran and other \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tcountries. Read the whole thing ><\/a><\/p>\n

Here’s an old picture of the scene at the Afghan-Iran border. We’re guessing it doesn’t look much different these days.<\/p>\n

\"afghanistan<\/p>\n

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