🪙⛏️ Stat of the Day: A drug trafficking gang in Colombia is taking the phrase “going for gold” to a whole new level. In recent years, the Gulf Clan armed militia has seized dozens of Colombian gold mine tunnels from Chinese state-owned firm Zijin Mining Group, and handed them to illegal miners in exchange for a cut of their profits. Zijin lost an estimated 3.2 tons of gold – worth $200 million – due to illegal mining last year, equivalent to 38% of the mine’s total production. The company has filed a $430 million lawsuit with the World Bank accusing Colombian authorities of failing to do their job. The recent surge in illegal gold mining has been driven by record-high prices, per government officials (+30% in 2024, to ~$2,600/ounce).

🤔 Did You Know? Studying venom from the Gila monster helped lead to the creation of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic. It may have other uses, too.

📰 Worth a Read: The university trying to bring AI to every industry → (The Hustle)