Interpol-backed police and prosecutors arrested nearly 200 people in a joint cross-border sweep targeting illegal gold mining in the Amazon region, authorities said Thursday.
Police and prosecutors from Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana and Suriname carried out the operation in December, described by officials as their first joint cross-border effort of its kind. Interpol backed the effort, along with the European Union and Dutch police specializing in environmental crime.
Interpol said the operation involved more than 24,500 checks on vehicles and people across remote border areas. Authorities said the sweep resulted in seizures that included cash, unprocessed gold, mercury, firearms, drugs and mining equipment.
Interpol said three men detained in Guyana were suspected of gold smuggling and money laundering after officers seized unprocessed gold and about $590,000 in cash. Investigators said the suspects are believed to be part of an organized crime group and may have links to a major gold exporting company in Guyana.
Authorities also linked illegal gold mining to environmental damage in the Amazon, saying it contributes to deforestation and river pollution. They said mercury used in illegal mining contaminates waterways and damages lands relied on by Indigenous communities.
Interpol Secretary General Valdecy Urquiza said in a statement that “Illegal gold mining is growing rapidly and causing serious harm to the environment and local communities, especially in remote and fragile areas,”.
Officials said the operation also produced seizures of mercury valued at more than $60,000 in Guyana and Suriname. Interpol said the mercury had been hidden inside solar panels and transported by bus.
During the sweep, police conducted coordinated checks along shared borders, including inspections on both sides of rivers that separate the countries. Officers searched vehicles, boats and small riverside shops that sell fuel, tools and other supplies used in illegal mining, and authorities said some of the shops were suspected of helping smuggle gold and mercury across borders.
Interpol said police seized counterfeit medicines, alcohol and cigarettes worth more than $40,000, and also seized mining pumps, mats used to collect gold, firearms and mobile phones. Authorities said officers stopped a bus carrying undocumented migrants, including several minors, and some of the children are suspected of being victims of forced labor or sexual exploitation.
Interpol said the operation, known as Operation Guyana Shield, marked a significant step forward in cooperation among countries in the Amazon region, where long distances and porous borders have made illegal mining difficult to police.