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2 clusters · 10 sources · 15 days · First seen · Last updated

Illegal Amazon mining and global supply chain fraud

Overview

Investigations by the Brazilian Federal Police and the Federal Public Ministry, under ‘Operation Hephaestus Forgery’, have uncovered a scheme involving the illegal extraction and laundering of cassiterite from the Yanomami Indigenous Territory in the Amazon. The operation allegedly involved the company White Solder and the Cooperativa de Produtores de Estanho do Brasil (Coopertin), which is accused of issuing false invoices to simulate legal production.

Reports indicate that the laundered minerals, used to extract tin for electronic components, entered the supply chains of major global corporations, including Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Sony, Starbucks, Caterpillar, and PepsiCo. Legal efforts to seek reparations for these damages may reach up to R$ 1.7 billion.

Further investigation revealed that White Solder exported significant quantities of tin to the United States. Between May 2023 and August 2025, the company sold at least 525 tons of tin to Indium Corporation, a supplier to the defense contractor Raytheon. Additionally, between 2021 and 2025, White Solder supplied approximately 2,400 tons of tin to Nathan Trotter, a major North American producer of solder alloys.

Entities

White Solder · Indium Corporation · Nathan Trotter · United States Department of Defense · Federal Public Ministry

Timeline

  1. 3 days ago

    [BUSINESS] 7 sources
    Brazilian mining company supplied tin to U.S. defense industry

    Brazilian mining company White Solder, linked to illegal mining in Yanomami territory, has supplied thousands of tons of tin to U.S. defense industry suppliers like Indium Corporation and Nathan Trotter.

  2. 17 days ago

    [BUSINESS] 3 sources
    Illegal Amazon cassiterite allegedly supplied global tech giants

    Illegal cassiterite mining in the Yanomami territory allegedly entered global supply chains through a fraud scheme involving White Solder and Coopertin, affecting major tech and consumer companies.

Sources

chicoterra.com · contilnetnoticias.com.br · diariodocentrodomundo.com.br · diariodopara.com.br · hopkinsmedicine.org · icas.se · ocafezinho.com · racismoambiental.net.br · reporterbrasil.org.br · revistaforum.com.br