Organized crime expands across Amazonian municipalities

A new report by Amazon Underworld reveals that criminal networks or armed groups operate in approximately 59% of the 1,310 municipalities surveyed across six Amazonian nations: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.

Colombia shows the highest impact, with 98% of its municipalities affected, followed by Venezuela at 82%. In Brazil, research indicates that organized crime has become dominant in large sections of forest surrounding the BR-319 highway. Criminal organizations linked to illegal logging, gold mining, land grabbing, and cattle ranching are increasingly active in these areas. Researchers note that cattle ranching is frequently used to launder money from these illicit activities.

The report highlights a significant economic shift, noting that gold has overtaken cocaine as the most lucrative criminal industry in the region. This transition has accelerated environmental destruction through deforestation and mercury contamination. Furthermore, criminal operations are becoming more interconnected across international borders, such as Brazil’s Comando Vermelho, which has expanded into Bolivia and Peru. Local and Indigenous communities face escalating violence and extortion as rival groups compete for territorial control over mining and resource-rich areas.