Shafted: How Cartels are Killing for Rare-Earths

The Underworld Podcast · Aug 25, 2026 · 44m

Bolivia's Cerro Rico has been spewing out tons of silver for centuries. It was the economic bellows of the Spanish Revolution, whose lust for the precious metal came at the price of some eight million slaves. Some of the empire's earliest gangs formed around the Cerro. They were called ‘Jukus,’ and one man stood above (or below) them all. Today's there's another, modern silver rush at Cerro Rico — and it's being led by the green energy revolution. EVs, wind turbines and data centers are all hungry for silver. Its price has almost quadrupled. That has brought a new wave of organized crime to…