Nearly 100 people arrested in Amazon environmental crime crackdown

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🗞️ Driving the news: A multinational crackdown on environmental crime in the Amazon Basin, dubbed Operation Green Shield, has resulted in 94 arrests and the seizure of over $64 million in illicit assets
• Coordinated by the UAE through its I2LEC platform, the two-week operation mobilised 1,500 officers from Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru to target illegal mining, wildlife trafficking, logging and fuel smuggling across sensitive Indigenous territories and remote forest regions

🔭 The context: Environmental crimes in the Amazon, from deforestation to illegal resource extraction, have long been linked to organised crime and human rights abuses, often harming Indigenous communities
• The UAE launched the International Initiative of Law Enforcement for Climate (I2LEC) in 2023 to strengthen climate-related policing globally
• This marks the Amazon’s most synchronised regional enforcement action yet, following similar efforts in the Congo Basin
• Authorities highlighted the inclusive planning process and real-time satellite monitoring as key to its effectiveness

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: The Amazon is critical to global climate stability and biodiversity, yet suffers some of the world’s highest rates of environmental crime
• Strengthening cross-border enforcement helps curb deforestation, protect endangered species, and defend Indigenous lands from exploitation
• The operation also underscores how environmental degradation is intertwined with social harm, including displacement and violence, reinforcing the need for holistic approaches to sustainability and justice

⏭️ What's next: Follow-up investigations and prosecutions are underway, with further arrests and asset seizures expected
• Regional authorities plan to deepen collaboration through I2LEC and expand the use of satellite-based and data-driven tools
• Lessons learned from Operation Green Shield are likely to inform future climate-enforcement strategies in other vulnerable ecosystems
• The participating governments are expected to report progress at upcoming international forums, including COP30 in Brazil

💬 One quote: “These are not just crimes against nature — they are crimes against people,” — Lt. Col. Dana Humaid, Director-General at the UAE Ministry of Interior and I2LEC coordinator

📈 One stat: Authorities recovered over 2,100 live animals and 6,350 dead specimens from wildlife trafficking networks during the operation

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