The operation involved nine helicopters and dozens of agents in the Amazon rainforest. Hundreds of machines were found scattered in the environmental preservation area of the Tapajós River. The region is one of the most targeted by prospectors, who invade federal preservation areas and indigenous lands. In July this year, the area broke a record for deforestation alerts, with more than 200 new points. To combat these criminal actions, Ibama and ICMBio, with the support of the Federal Police, the Federal Highway Police and the National Force, are carrying out one of the largest operations against illegal mining. Several rafts were found moored on the banks of the Tapajós tributaries. The dredgers suck up the soil, which is mixed with mercury, and what isn't gold goes back into the water, contaminated. They were all destroyed in the operation. "The only solution we have for any mining region in Brazil, with its pollution and extreme environmental degradation, is to maintain permanent operations and build the state's presence in the territory permanently. We managed to eliminate all the dredges that were on a stretch of the Bacabal River, which is one of the main tributaries of the Tapajós River. If we manage to keep the operation permanent, we'll have a very positive result in reducing the pollution of the tributaries that are discharged into the Tapajós River," said Hugo Loss, Ibama's coordinator of enforcement operations.

Source: Amazon Agency