Cash, gold, mercury and firearms seized in operations in Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana and Suriname
Police and prosecutors from Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana and Suriname have arrested nearly 200 people in their first joint cross-border operation targeting illegal gold mining in the Amazon region, authorities said.
The operation was backed by Interpol, the EU and Dutch police specialising in environmental crime. It involved more than 24,500 checks on vehicles and people across remote border areas and led to the seizure of cash, unprocessed gold, mercury, firearms, drugs and mining equipment, Interpol said.
Among those arrested were three men detained in Guyana on suspicion of gold smuggling and money laundering after officers seized unprocessed gold and about $590,000 (£440,000) in cash. Investigators said the suspects were believed to be part of an organised crime group and may have links to a major gold exporting company in Guyana.
Illegal gold mining has become a major driver of deforestation and river pollution in the Amazon, contaminating waterways with toxic mercury and damaging lands relied on by Indigenous communities. In recent years the activity has expanded rapidly as global gold prices have climbed to near-record highs, pushing miners deeper into remote forest regions and turning gold into one of the most profitable commodities for organised crime operating across borders.
