Fifteen search and seizure warrants and five preventive arrest warrants were executed this Tuesday (3) by the Federal Police in the states of Roraima and Rondônia. According to information from the PF, Operation Taurus Aerus focused on combating the logistics and financing of organizations that explore illegal mining on Yanomami lands. Agents seized several assets, including vehicles and a farm.
The PF operations are planned as a priority goal of the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples (MPI), which planned to carry out 32 actions by the end of 2026. Tuesday’s operations follow the permanent Operation Liberation, which began in February 2023, to repress illegal mining and also to remove land invaders.
Over the course of 18 months, the federal government has already carried out evictions in three areas considered vital in Pará – Alto do Rio Guamá, Apyterewa and Trincheira Bacajá – and one in Rondônia, in the Karipuna Indigenous Land. According to data collected by the Roraima Government House, 26% of the 9.6 million hectares of indigenous land are affected by illegal mining, but the repression initiatives produced a 91.6% drop in illegal mining compared to 2022.
So far, the estimate of the PF operations is that the losses to those financing illegal mining on indigenous lands correspond to R$163 million. In March of this year, the area of active mining corresponded to 4.57 thousand hectares and the area of influence of the mining was 2.6 million hectares, but with actions like today’s, there has been a reduction to 1.5 thousand hectares for active mining and 916 thousand hectares of area of influence – these numbers are relative to the month of August.
Since the Yanomami Government House was established in Boa Vista, the capital of Roraima, on February 29 of this year, 19 aircraft have been destroyed; more than 86 thousand liters of diesel oil; 617 engines and 70 Starlink antennas. 75 tons of cassiterite and 10,848 kilos of gold were seized. At Tuesday’s prices, with the kilo quoted at R$457,320.00 on the commodities exchange, this amount of gold seized represents almost R$5 billion taken from illegal miners. So far, 80 people have been arrested.
