Ankara:An international law enforcement operation focusing on environmental crimes across Latin America and the Caribbean has resulted in 233 arrests. The operation also led to the rescue of over 1,000 animals and the identification of 60,000 hectares of illegally deforested land.
According to Anadolu Agency, the operation, known as Operation Madre Tierra VIII, was conducted by Interpol in collaboration with nine countries: Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, and the Dominican Republic. The initiative targeted illegal logging, illicit mining, and the trafficking of wildlife and timber, leading to more than 330 cases being investigated.
Authorities identified 312 additional suspects and made 313 seizures, recovering weapons, ammunition, and up to 4.6 tons of hazardous chemicals such as mercury and cyanide, which are commonly used in illegal gold mining. In Colombia, investigations focused on eleven foreign companies linked to industrial-scale deforestation in the Amazon basin, responsible for clearing over 52,000 hectares of protected rainforest.
The operation revealed connections to 161 companies and 65 individuals across multiple continents, uncovering suspicious foreign investments and shell corporations. Raids in Colombia resulted in 16 arrests and the seizure of vital digital evidence.
Trafficking routes were found to connect Latin American biodiversity hubs with markets in Europe, Asia, and North America. In Mexico, authorities recovered several big cats, including two endangered Bengal tigers, along routes used by transnational syndicates for narcotics and illicit commodities trafficking.
Throughout the region, law enforcement seized CITES-listed exotic birds, such as green and red macaws in Nicaragua, as well as rare reptiles and insects. Additionally, 165 kilograms of dried shark fins, valued at approximately $280,000, were confiscated.
Interpol highlighted the importance of targeting the financial infrastructure behind environmental crimes. Krandall Gullock, head of Interpol's Regional Bureau for Central America, emphasized the need to trace payments to focus on the companies that finance and profit from environmental destruction.