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    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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