Brazil police target illegal gold exports from the Amazon

Associated Press

BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — Brazil’s Federal Police are carrying out a court order to seize more than $384 million related to about 13 tons of gold mined illegally in the Amazon rainforest, then exported through an unnamed U.S.-based company. Police said in a statement they were also executing 27 search warrants and three arrest warrants in seven states and the Federal District related to the investigation. The operation forms part of a crackdown on illegal Amazon gold mining in the wake of the government announcing a health emergency for Yanomami Indigenous people caused by prospectors. Gold extracted from the Amazon is usually sold to financial brokers that are regulated by Brazil’s central bank.