Interpol crackdown on illegal mining, logging and wildlife trafficking leads to 233 arrests
Interpol said the crackdown exposed financial networks behind illegal mining and logging, with more than 330 cases reported across nine countries.
- Operation Madre Tierra VIII, an international crackdown across Latin America and the Caribbean, led to 233 arrests during a two-month operation from June 1 to July 31, Interpol said Wednesday.
- Environmental crime has become increasingly intertwined with organized crime across Latin America, as illicit mining, logging, and trafficking exploit the same financial networks and routes used for other commodities.
- Authorities identified some 60,000 hectares of illegally cleared forest and recovered more than 1,000 live animals. Officials seized 165 kilograms of shark fins worth $280,000 and 4.6 metric tons of cyanide.
- Interpol intelligence uncovered links to 161 companies and 65 people across continents, while Colombian authorities arrested 16 suspects and seized digital evidence. Investigators found suspected permit fraud and shell company use.
- "These cases demonstrate the transnational nature of environmental crime," said Thomas Ungerbuehler, Interpol's assistant director of environmental security. Krandall Gullock, head of Interpol's Regional Bureau for Central America, noted that following money moves investigations beyond individual harvesters.
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Mother Earth VIII in Latin America: Interpol reports 233 detainees and more than 1,000 animals rescued in nine countries between June and July 2026.
INTERPOL arrested 233 people and broke the ecological crime chains connecting Latin America with Europe, saving more than a thousand animals.
Interpol seized more than 1,000 live wild animals, including araras, pythons and two Bengal tigers, in addition to arresting 233 people in an operation against environmental crime in Latin America and the Caribbean, according to the police organization on Wednesday (7). Busan Channel: Shark trapped in South Korea channel makes numbers of tourists shoot and becomes honorary ambassador of the city See also: Billionaire of Zimbabwe and companion ca…
The operation highlighted traffic corridors connecting Latin American biodiversity centres with destination markets in Europe, Asia and North America.
Operation targeted illegal mining, Amazon deforestation, wildlife trafficking in nine countries, resulting in rescue of more than 1,000 animals
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