Nearly 200 Arrested in First-Ever Cross-Border Crackdown on Illegal Gold Mining in the Amazon

A coordinated international law-enforcement operation targeting illegal gold mining deep in the Amazon rainforest has resulted in nearly 200 arrests across four countries, authorities said Thursday.

The joint effort, named Operation Guyana Shield, brought together police and prosecutors from Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, and Suriname in what officials described as the first cross-border operation of its kind against environmental crime in the region. The campaign was supported by Interpol, the European Union, and Dutch police units specialising in environmental crime.

Conducted over remote border areas in and around the Amazon basin, the operation involved more than 24,500 checkpoints and inspections of vehicles, boats, and individuals. Law-enforcement officers seized large amounts of unprocessed gold, significant quantities of cash, mercury, firearms, drugs, and mining gear used for illegal extraction. In Guyana alone, three suspects were detained on suspicion of gold smuggling and money-laundering in connection with a major gold-exporting company, according to authorities.

Illegal gold mining has surged in recent years as global prices for the precious metal climbed, drawing criminal networks and informal miners into the forest’s most remote areas. Environmental officials have warned that unregulated mining destroys vast tracts of rainforest, contaminates rivers with toxic mercury, and threatens the livelihoods and health of Indigenous communities who depend on clean water and forests for survival.

The crackdown also uncovered disturbing human-rights concerns. Police stopped a bus carrying undocumented migrants, including several minors, some believed to be victims of forced labour or sexual exploitation tied to the mining economy.

Officials said the operation highlights how transnational organised crime has exploited porous borders and the vastness of the rainforest to expand illegal mining activities. They described the collaborative action as a “significant step forward” in protecting fragile ecosystems and local communities by disrupting criminal networks responsible for environmental destruction.

Authorities emphasised that this crackdown underscores the importance of continued regional cooperation to combat illegal mining and associated crimes that ravage the Amazon and undermine conservation efforts.

SOURCES: AP News, The Guardian