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A two-month multinational police operation in nine Latin American countries resulted in 225 arrests for environmental crime and hundreds of new investigations into illegal logging, wildlife trafficking and gold mining. Interpol Said on Friday.
The announcement was the first public comment about the operation, called Operation Madre Tierra VII, coordinated by Interpol’s bureau. Central America,
The Paris-based international police organization said the May-June operation was assisted by Interpol’s environmental protection unit.
Interpol, which helps countries share intelligence and coordinate cross-border investigations, said the effort had uncovered more than 400 cases of environmental crimes, including illegal logging, wildlife trafficking, fishing violations, illegal mining and pollution crimes.
It said the highest number of violations were 203 forest-related crimes and 138 related to illegal wildlife trade.
The operation also exposed international routes reaching into Europe and Asia, revealing how organized crime networks are increasing deforestation, illegal mining and exploitation of protected species across the region.
A wide range of contraband was seized: live birds, reptiles, turtles, primates and big cats, as well as 2.4 tonnes of shark and ray fins. About 875 kilograms (about 1,930 pounds) of totoaba – a critically endangered fish – and 7 kilograms (15 pounds) of dried sea cucumber.
Interpol said the seizure highlights the ongoing exploitation of protected species for lucrative international markets.
The results highlight how organized criminal networks are turning protected species and forests into trans-continental commodity chains, with profound impacts on ecosystems and climate resilience.
Interpol and partner agencies have conducted similar cross-border operations in recent years, including along the Paraguay-Brazil-Argentina border, which led to 26 arrests for illegal timber smuggling.
Large quantities of illegally harvested timber, including cedar, oak, and high-value cedar and rosewood, were also confiscated. According to Interpol, rosewood wood can fetch up to $6,000 per cubic meter on the black market, underscoring the profits from forest destruction.
Investigators identified deforestation hotspots spanning more than 50,000 hectares (193 square miles), many of which were linked to organized criminal groups operating across the continent.
In Panama, a major case revealed large-scale illegal gold mining linked to child labor, human trafficking, and mercury contamination of rivers and soil.
Weapons, vehicles, boats and communications equipment were also seized as a result of the operation. Officials said additional investigations are ongoing, and a final analytical report will be submitted in late November.
Oscar Soria, chief executive of The Common Initiative, an environmental think tank, told The Associated Press that the operation shows how environmental crime in Latin America has become “deeply integrated with traditional organized crime networks”, as drug trafficking groups expand into illegal mining, logging and wildlife trafficking.
“These low-risk, high-profit crimes now provide financing to armed groups and fuel corruption at multiple levels,” Soria said. “What is urgently needed is a structural response – not just arrests, but stronger governance, better regional coordination and efforts to reclaim areas where criminal networks fill the void left by the state.”
Interpol said the operation was part of Project GAIA, a program supported by Germany’s environment ministry and that police from countries including Colombia, Mexico and Costa Rica took part in the coordinated effort.
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