Government House action destroys aircraft, bringing losses from illegal mining on Yanomami Lands to a total BRL 155 million

On August 13, 2024, an aircraft was seized during a joint operation by security forces on Yanomami Indigenous Lands. The action was coordinated by the Government House with the participation of the Federal Highway Police [Polícia Rodoviária Federal/PRF], the National Force [Força Nacional], the Brazilian Army [Exército Brasileiro], the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources [Instituto Brasileiro do Meio Ambiente e dos Recursos Naturais Renováveis/IBAMA], the National Civil Aviation Agency of Brazil [Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil/ANAC], and the National Land Transport Agency [Agência Nacional de Transportes Terrestres/ANTT].

The aircraft was spotted by the PRF team during a surveillance flight over illegal mining areas. Flying suspiciously low, the aircraft used the natural landscape of the region to camouflage itself.

After tactical monitoring lasting around 30 minutes, the aircraft landed on a clandestine airstrip, where it was immediately surrounded by the forces.

Upon seeing the approaching authorities, the occupants of the aircraft and other vehicles waiting for it to land fled into the dense rainforest. During the operation, two suspects were captured and, after being questioned, confirmed that they were involved in the logistics of supplying fuel to mining activities in the region.

In addition to seizing the aircraft, the operation found eleven 50-liter containers of diesel oil and aviation gasoline, both used for illegal activities on Indigenous Lands. The aircraft, which had been adjusted for cargo transportation, had a new engine - and a damaged flight panel, which hindered its frequent criminal activity.

Since the beginning of the operations coordinated by the Government House, organized crime has suffered a loss of approximately BRL 21 million following the destruction of the 19 aircrafts – a significant blow to the logistics of mining, impeding the transportation of illegally extracted resources and minerals.

The agencies involved in the operation were called to register and identify the aircraft, and, next, IBAMA agents proceeded to destroy the plane and the supplies found on site. The suspects were sent to the Federal Police in Boa Vista for the appropriate legal procedures.

In another recent operation on Yanomami Indigenous Lands, around 14 tons of cassiterite were seized, revealing the industrial dimensions of illegal mining in the region. Cassiterite – a valuable mineral used in the production of tin – is one of the main targets of the operations against mining, recently intensified to curb the unbridled exploitation of indigenous natural resources.

ASSESSMENT - The operations carried out by the Federal Government in the Yanomami Indigenous Lands resulted in a total loss to illegal mining activities estimated at BRL 155.5 million by August 12. Of this amount, BRL 11.4 million are due to fines, BRL 17.6 million for seized assets, BRL 125.4 million for unusable equipment and machinery, and BRL 22 million for seized and destroyed aircraft.

These figures reflect the significant loss of machinery, fuel, illegally extracted minerals and other infrastructure used by miners, highlighting the Federal Government's commitment to protecting indigenous territories and their natural resources.