Brazilian mining company supplied tin to U.S. defense industry

An investigation has revealed that White Solder, a Brazilian mining company facing legal charges for involvement in illegal mining within the Yanomami Indigenous Territory, has exported significant quantities of tin to suppliers for the United States defense industry.

Customs records indicate that between May 2023 and August 2025, White Solder sold at least 525 tons of tin to the American company Indium Corporation. Indium Corporation serves as a direct supplier to Raytheon, a major defense contractor that holds multi-billion dollar contracts with the Pentagon, including agreements for anti-missile radar systems for Saudi Arabia and air defense systems for the U.S. military.

Additionally, between August 2021 and August 2025, White Solder supplied approximately 2,400 tons of tin to Nathan Trotter, North America’s largest producer of solder alloys. In September 2024, the U.S. Department of Defense provided $19 million to Nathan Trotter to establish a smelting facility in Pennsylvania, a move intended to strengthen domestic supply chains and reduce reliance on Chinese minerals.