This book explores illegal mining in the context of the growing global demand for critical minerals and energy transitions. It examines how illegal mining operates across complex supply chains shaped by weak governance, contested jurisdictions, and global market pressures. Rather than viewing illegal mining as a marginal activity, this book situates it within a broader framework of “crimes in the mineral sector,” encompassing criminal activities, human rights violations, and environmental harm.

Daan van Uhm is Professor of Environmental Crime at the Open University and Associate Professor of Criminology at the Utrecht University, the Netherlands.

Rob White is Emeritus Distinguished Professor of Criminology at the University of Tasmania, Australia.