[REVISION HISTORY]

Illegal gold mining and regulatory crackdowns in the Amazon

Updated 5 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-09-05 07:51 UTC → 2026-09-05 19:58 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Criminal networks involved in illegal gold mining in Brazil are altering smuggling tactics to bypass increased government oversight. Previously, gold was shipped directly from Brazilian ports to the United States and Europe. However, due to intensified inspections, smugglers are now using Venezuela, Guyana, and Suriname as intermediaries, utilizing roads, aircraft, and clandestine paths known as ‘cabriteiras’ to move minerals across borders. The state of Roraima has become a central corridor for these activities, with the Federal Highway Police reporting record seizures on highways connecting to the Venezuelan and Guyanese borders. Between 2023 and June 2026, authorities seized 334 kilograms of gold, primarily in Roraima. To disrupt the commercialization of illegal minerals, Brazil is utilizing forensic science to create a ‘digital fingerprint’ of gold. Researchers from the National Institute of Criminalistics and the Brazilian Federal Police use electron microscopy and spectrometry to analyze chemical particles, feeding this data into a National Gold Profile Database to match samples to specific mining sites. Regulatory crackdowns have intensified as authorities uncover permit laundering. In Mato Grosso, the Environmental Protection Military Police Battalion (BPMPA) seized heavy machinery after discovering operations were extracting minerals outside authorized ~~areas and suppressing native vegetation.~~ areas. In Pará, Greenpeace Brasil identified a “ghost” mining permit used by the Cooperativa dos Garimpeiros da Amazônia (COOGAM) to launder gold; while the permit reported millions of reais in transactions, satellite imagery showed no activity in the declared area, with illegal dredging ~~actually~~ occurring within the Munduruku Indigenous Territory. ~~This has led to sediment accumulation and mercury concentration in the Tapajós River. As part of ongoing enforcement,~~ Building on these enforcement efforts, the Federal Police launched Operation Aurum Tapajós to investigate ~~unlicensed extraction within~~ environmental crimes and the potential usurpation of Union assets in the Tapajós Environmental Protection Area (APA) in Novo Progresso, Pará.

Versions

Only revisions since CLSTR began indexing content versions appear here. Select a version to see what changed compared to the one before it.