The Federal Police (PF) carried out, this Thursday (10), three search and seizure warrants within the scope of Operation Arraial São João, created to combat crimes of fire, deforestation, illegal exploitation of Union lands, criminal association, among others, in the region of Corumbá/MS.
Police investigations indicate that the area affected by the fires is a common target for criminals and that this same area ends up being later used for land grabbing, with fraud involving government agencies. There is also evidence of use of the devastated area for the management of irregular cattle from Bolivia.
“Federal Police expertise identified that approximately 30 thousand hectares of the Pantanal biome were burned by the actions of those investigated. The catastrophe gained great repercussion, considering that the peak of the fires occurred on the weekend of Arraial São João, the traditional June festival in Corumbá, revealing shocking images while the bank of the Paraguay River burned in flames”, informed the PF.
According to the police, those being investigated could be held responsible for the crimes of causing fires in the woods or forests, deforestation and economic exploitation of public domain areas, ideological falsehood, land grabbing and criminal association.
