A federal delegate died during a police operation against illegal logging in indigenous areas of Mato Grosso. According to a spokesperson for the Federal Police (PF), Roberto Moreira da Silva Filho, 35, was shot when approaching a truck loaded with wood that was leaving the Aripuaña Indigenous Land, in the northwest of the state.
Also according to the corporation, agents who participated in the so-called Operation Omnipresent gave the order for the truck driver to stop, but he threw the vehicle in the direction of the police in order to try to escape. The police then opened fire on the truck. The suspicion is that one of the projectiles ricocheted when hitting the bodywork and hit the deputy. The fact, which is being investigated, took place between late Friday night (26) and early morning today (27).
Born in Brasília, Roberto Moreira da Silva Filho was in charge of the Police Station for Repression of Crimes against the Environment and Historical Heritage, of the PF Superintendence in Mato Grosso, since September last year. Before taking office, he participated in several environmental operations in the state. Also according to the press office, he was responsible for numerous actions that resulted in arrests in the act, seizure of illegal wood and destruction of vehicles and equipment used in criminal practices.
Justice Minister Anderson Torres sympathized with the delegate’s relatives and friends, mourning his death. “It is with immense regret that I received the news of the death of Federal Police delegate Roberto Moreira da Silva Filho, who was shot during an operation in Mato Grosso. My condolences to family and friends”, he wrote on his Twitter account, classifying Silva Filho’s death as “a great loss for our PF”.
The operation
Carried out in conjunction with the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama), Operation Omnipresent is part of the federal program Guardians of the Biome. According to the PF, the actions carried out in the north and northwest of Mato Grosso seek to prevent various environmental crimes, mainly illegal logging and deforestation, and gather evidence to identify and punish criminals.
For years, the region has been the target of greed by loggers attracted mainly by ipê. In 2018, officials from Ibama, the National Indian Foundation (Funai) and the Civil Police of Mato Grosso seized 13 trucks, three wheel loaders, four tractors adapted for the removal of trees, two crawler tractors, two forest trailers, eight motorcycles , 12 chainsaws, a pickup truck and six firearms during a single joint operation. Twenty-two people were identified for involvement in environmental crimes and for trying to obstruct the roads and prevent the seizure of equipment – which led the agents to destroy most of the goods seized on the spot.
Recently, the PF estimated that at least ten trucks leave the Aripuaña Indigenous Land daily, illegally loaded with high commercial value wood logs – which motivated the corporation to announce in July that it would intensify its actions.
