BOGOTA, Colombia — Investigators linked 11 foreign companies to the suspected clearing of more than 52,000 hectares of protected Amazon forest. An Interpol operation across Latin America and the Caribbean led to 233 arrests and identified ties to 161 other companies and 65 people across several continents.
Operation Madre Tierra VIII ran from June 1 to July 31 in Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua and Panama. Interpol said authorities reported more than 330 cases and identified 312 people suspected of environmental crimes. Investigators found about 60,000 hectares of illegally cleared forest, an area 10 times the size of Manhattan Island.
The investigation began in Colombia and uncovered suspected permit fraud, along with the alleged use of shell companies and foreign investment mechanisms. Colombian authorities arrested 16 people and seized digital evidence. Interpol issued international notices seeking information or action involving suspects linked to the network.
Following the Money
Investigators focused on companies, financial networks and international buyers suspected of profiting from environmental destruction. The inquiry traced links beyond people physically clearing forests or extracting resources, reaching companies and people across several continents.
“Following the money, whether from an illegal gold mine in Panama to a buyer in North America, Europe or Asia, helps a case move beyond the individuals physically harvesting the timber, handling the animal or extracting the gold,” Krandall Gullock, head of Interpol's Regional Bureau for Central America, said in a statement.
Gold's value, portability and ease of sale attract criminal groups, Interpol said. Illegal mining has expanded in parts of the Amazon as gold prices have risen, driving deforestation and contaminating rivers with mercury and other toxic substances. Mining, logging and wildlife trafficking can rely on the same routes and financial networks as other illicit commodities, particularly in remote forest regions.
Authorities in Costa Rica seized about 4.6 metric tons of cyanide and 11 containers of mercury, chemicals used to extract gold. Mercury can contaminate rivers, wildlife and people; cyanide can cause severe environmental damage if people mishandle or release it.
Arrests, Seizures and the Costs
Wildlife trafficking also drew the operation's attention. Authorities recovered more than 1,000 live animals, including endangered Bengal tigers, lions, jaguars, ocelots, parrots and macaws. Some animals traveled along routes criminal networks use to move drugs and other illicit goods, Interpol said.
Authorities also seized 165 kilograms of dried shark fins, worth an estimated $280,000. Thomas Ungerbuehler, Interpol's assistant director of environmental security, said the cases showed environmental crime's transnational nature: biodiversity-rich countries serve as sources of high-value commodities for illicit markets around the world.
Enforcement efforts have also targeted mining sites and cross-border networks. In August, The Associated Press accompanied Peruvian security forces as they raided illegal gold mines advancing into the Tambopata National Reserve in the Amazon. Authorities there increasingly target financial networks because miners frequently return after raids.
Earlier this year, nearly 200 people were arrested in the first coordinated cross-border operation targeting illegal gold mining involving Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana and Suriname. Authorities seized gold, cash, mercury, firearms and mining equipment.
A similar Interpol operation last year resulted in 225 arrests and uncovered more than 400 environmental crimes, including illegal logging, wildlife trafficking, mining and pollution. The operation's figures document arrests and seizures alongside suspected corporate and financial links; the source described no labor organization, strike or reform proposal.