In-country Human-Source Intelligence (HUMINT) for physical metals and minerals supply chains. We verify on the ground what cannot be confirmed from a desk: beneficial ownership, entity relationships, armed group connections, mineral origin fraud, and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Annex II red flags.
Physical metals and minerals trading is expanding rapidly, into cobalt, copper, rare earths, nickel, tin, and zinc sourced from conflict-affected and high-risk areas across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Central Asia. Compliance teams run robust desk-based due diligence: corporate registries, sanctions screening, Politically Exposed Person (PEP) checks, adverse media, litigation history. But between the mine face and the export point, desk research cannot verify ground truth. Beneficial ownership hides behind nominee structures. Mineral origin documentation is routinely falsified. Armed groups extract fees at aggregation points. Bribery networks control export permits. The provenance gap, the space between what documents claim and what actually happens on the ground, is where OECD Annex II red flags concentrate. Closing that gap requires field-level human intelligence.
A senior partner deploys to the jurisdiction, establishes a source network, and conducts discreet HUMINT collection over 2 to 3 weeks. We verify beneficial ownership claims, operational realities at mine sites, entity relationships, and mineral origin documentation.
Every investigation is structured against the six OECD Annex II risk categories: serious human rights abuses, armed group support, security force involvement, bribery and mineral origin fraud, money laundering, and tax/royalty evasion. Reports map directly to your compliance framework.
We do not duplicate your desk-based due diligence. Our HUMINT reports are designed as an annex to your existing DD file, plugging into your workflow, not replacing it. Your team handles OSINT, financial DD, and sanctions screening. We handle the field.
Your desk-based DD has flagged a counterparty but cannot resolve critical questions. Does this entity actually control the mine they claim? Is mineral origin documentation genuine? Are there undisclosed connections to armed groups, sanctioned entities, or PEPs?
Request a Consultation →You are entering a new jurisdiction, such as Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Myanmar, Indonesia, Peru, or Central Asia, and need field-level intelligence on who controls mining operations, how bribery networks function, where mineral origin fraud occurs, and which actors pose Annex II risks.
Request a Consultation →Your financing partners or regulators are demanding evidence of OECD-aligned supply chain due diligence. You need audit-ready, field-verified intelligence that satisfies bank covenants, regulatory expectations, and annual reporting obligations.
Request a Consultation →Our HUMINT capability covers the full spectrum of physical metals and minerals supply chains. Investigations are commodity-specific: the risk profile, supply chain structure, and field methodology differ significantly between cobalt in the DRC and rare earths in Brazil.
DRC mining provinces (Katanga, North/South Kivu). ASM blending, armed group financing, export quota manipulation, Chinese-owned processing opacity.
Emerging non-China sources across Africa, Brazil, Central Asia. Origin fraud, export control circumvention, bribery for concessions, processing dependency on China.
South America, Southeast Asia, Southern Africa. Smelter verification, environmental crime linkage, PEP involvement in concessions.
Myanmar, Central Africa, Southeast Asia. Military involvement, conflict mineral designation, transshipment through China border.
Multi-jurisdictional supply chains across Africa, Asia, Latin America. Intermediary opacity, documentation fraud at aggregation points.
End-to-end supply chain verification across multiple metals and jurisdictions, mapping every intermediary from mine to warehouse.
| Dimension | Standard DD Provider | Sentinel Provenance |
|---|---|---|
| Field presence | None: desk-based research only | Senior partner deploys in-country for 2 to 3 weeks of discreet HUMINT collection |
| Source access | Commercial databases and public records | Human sources with direct knowledge: mine workers, transporters, permit officials, commercial ecosystem participants |
| Methodology | Database queries, sanctions screening, adverse media | Intelligence tradecraft: source development, discreet collection, corroboration across independent sources |
| Output | Risk rating based on publicly available information | HUMINT Intelligence Report structured against OECD Annex II risk categories with de-identified source annexes |
| Analyst profile | Junior research analysts | Former clandestine service officer with 25 years of denied-area HUMINT operations |
| Integration | Standalone report | Designed as annex to client's existing DD file: supplements, does not duplicate |
| Source protection | Not applicable | Intelligence community source evaluation standards, de-identified characterisations, full compartmentalisation |
Our partners have spent careers building source networks from scratch in hostile and denied-area environments. We do not maintain standing networks on retainer: we establish them rapidly as part of every engagement. Typical source development timeline is 2 to 3 weeks to produce actionable, reliable field intelligence in a new jurisdiction.
DRC, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ghana, Nigeria, Zambia, South Africa, Madagascar. Sub-Saharan Africa is where the majority of OECD Annex II field risk concentrates.
Indonesia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan), UAE, and broader Gulf region. From HPAL nickel in Sulawesi to rare earths in Central Asia.
Peru, Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, Chile. The region attracted $30 billion in mining M&A in 2025 alone, and the intersection between mining and organised crime demands field-level intelligence.
Define field verification objectives based on your desk-based DD findings. Identify specific questions your research could not resolve. Mutual non-disclosure agreement.
Detailed cost estimate with professional fee (daily partner rate) and estimated operational expenses (travel, security, logistics) broken out by line item. You approve scope and budget before deployment.
Senior partner deploys in-country. Source network established. Discreet HUMINT collection conducted over 2 to 3 weeks. Interim updates via encrypted communication.
Field intelligence analysed, corroborated across independent sources, and structured against OECD Annex II red flag categories. HUMINT report produced as annex to your existing DD file.
Final HUMINT report delivered. Senior partner briefs your compliance team on findings, methodology, and recommended next steps. All source material protected under intelligence community standards.
It is field-level supply chain due diligence structured against the six OECD Annex II risk categories: serious human rights abuses, armed group support, security force involvement, bribery and mineral origin fraud, money laundering, and tax or royalty evasion.
Desk research cannot verify what happens between the mine face and the export point. Beneficial ownership hides behind nominee structures, mineral origin documents are routinely falsified, and armed groups extract fees at aggregation points, requiring field-level human intelligence to close the gap.
A senior partner deploys directly to the jurisdiction, establishes a discreet source network, and collects human intelligence over 2 to 3 weeks to verify beneficial ownership claims, mine-site operational realities, entity relationships, and the authenticity of mineral origin documentation.
We cover cobalt, rare earths, copper, nickel, tin, tungsten, zinc, and lead across Africa, Asia and the Middle East, and Latin America, tailoring field methodology to each commodity's specific supply chain structure, risk profile, and jurisdictional operating environment.
It supplements, not replaces, your existing due diligence. Our HUMINT reports are designed as an annex to your existing DD file: your team continues to handle OSINT, financial due diligence, and sanctions screening, while we handle the field-level verification your desk research cannot reach.
If your compliance team has flagged a counterparty but cannot resolve critical questions from a desk, we can help. Contact us for a confidential discussion about your field intelligence requirements.
Request a Consultation →