Amazon Gold Rush Crackdown: 200 Arrested in Historic Cross-Border Raid

Police in four Amazonian nations have arrested nearly 200 people in an unprecedented joint strike against illegal gold mining. The coordinated operation targeted criminal networks across Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, and Suriname. It marks the first time these countries have united in such a cross-border crackdown. Authorities, supported by Interpol, the EU, and Dutch environmental crime police, conducted over 24,500 checks on people and vehicles in remote border zones. They seized large quantities of unprocessed gold, cash, and mining equipment. Police also confiscated dangerous materials used in illegal mining, including mercury and firearms. Drugs were also found. The operation highlights a new international effort to combat the environmental damage and crime linked to illegal gold mining in the Amazon rainforest.