November 10, 2021
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COMMONS
MINING #3 – Before Bitcoin, Bre-X
Bre-X was a national obsession that made many overnight millionaires. It also happened to be the biggest fraud in the history of mining.
Arshy Mann
Host & Producer
Jordan Cornish
Producer
Damilola Onime
Producer, Wag the Doug
Kieran Oudshoorn
Managing Editor, Podcasts

Support us at commonspodcast.com

 

A tiny Canadian mining company discovers the largest gold deposit in human history. But when the company’s chief geologist falls out of a helicopter over the Indonesian jungle, it was all revealed to be a mirage.

Bre-X was a national obsession that made many overnight millionaires. It also happened to be the biggest fraud in the history of mining. 

But questions still remain. Why did no one go to jail? And did that geologist actually die falling from a helicopter? Or is he off somewhere enjoying his ill-gotten gains?

Featured in this episode: Warren Irwin, Andrew Willis (The Globe and Mail), Stephen Ewart (Calgary Herald)

 

To learn more:

Fever: The Dark Mystery of the Bre-X Gold Rush by Jennifer Wells  

The Bre-X Fraud by Andrew Willis and Douglas Goold

“Bre-X – Of Course I Know Where Michael de Guzman Is” in CEO.com by Warren Irwin

 

Additional music from Audio Network

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