I had a friend, RIP, who made his beer money and more this way:
With his jeep he ran a "trapline" of campo streams where the women did their laundry on the banks.
The women would first dig a hole in the stream bed, then do their laundry. While it was spread out on the grass and drying, the women would scratch into the bottom of their individual holes for the tiny grains of gold that had washed into them while they laundered.
My friend offered them ready cash, and they learned to expect him on his rounds which took him all over the country. He also met and enjoyed many wonderful ladies on his "trapline". Now
that's panning for gold.
PS: it used to be illegal to find gold in the DR then sell it to anyone but the government. Perhaps it still is.