MACAPÁ, BRAZIL — Areas of vegetation destroyed by illegal deforestation in the interior of Amapá state were targeted in a police operation that lasted two weeks and resulted in arrests in the act, weapons seizures and the recovery of a stolen vehicle.

The actions took place in the municipalities of Tartarugalzinho and Pracuúba from Aug. 1 to Aug. 15. The enforcement effort was part of the fourth phase of Operation Protetor dos Biomas, conducted by the Specialized Environmental Crimes Division, known as Dema.

During the operation, three teams worked simultaneously at locations previously mapped using satellite imagery. The main objective was to assess the extent of the environmental damage and hold suspects accountable for involvement in fires and illegal tree clearing.

According to Civil Police, several people were summoned to provide statements. Police also filed incident reports and prepared field reports that are expected to support investigations into the crimes and help identify those responsible for the deforested areas.

In addition to environmental crimes, officers identified other offenses during the first days of the operation in the forested areas. On the first day, a suspect was arrested while allegedly in illegal possession of a firearm.

The following day, police made another arrest for the same offense and for receiving stolen property. A man was caught riding a motorcycle that had been reported stolen.

The vehicle was seized and taken to the state capital, Macapá. Dema said authorities conducted searches to locate the vehicle’s owner and return it to him.

Amazon Agency