FIVE AMAZON COUNTRIES ARREST HUNDREDS IN MAJOR CRACKDOWN ON ENVIRONMENTAL CRIME

Police forces from Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru carried out Operation Green Shield 2026, a coordinated effort that resulted in the arrest of 839 individuals and the seizure of vast amounts of illegal timber and minerals across the Amazon Basin between July 15 and 31, 2026.

During 1,045 field actions, authorities seized more than 280,000 cubic metres (about 9.9 million cubic feet) of illegally harvested timber—enough to fill roughly 110 Olympic‑sized swimming pools—as well as 195 metric tons of minerals and mining equipment, including gold, carbon, iron and copper. In addition, they rescued over 3,000 livestock animals that were being kept in violation of environmental regulations, according to reports from the five countries’ police departments.

The operation targeted a range of environmental crimes—illegal mining, logging, wildlife trafficking, fuel smuggling and land grabbing—that threaten the Amazon’s biodiversity and the livelihoods of indigenous and local communities.

• 839 arrests were made across 1,045 field actions by more than 3,600 officers from five Amazon countries.
• The seized timber volume exceeded 280,000 cubic metres, while 195 metric tons of minerals and mining equipment were confiscated.
• Operation Green Shield 2026 addressed illegal mining, logging, wildlife trafficking, fuel smuggling, and land grabbing in the Amazon Basin.

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