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Interpol announces a new global fight against illegal deforestation

On Wednesday, Interpol and partners launched a global law enforcement effort to dismantle criminal networks behind illegal logging, timber trafficking and gold mining, focusing on tropical forests in Brazil, Ecuador, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Peru.
Criminal networks involved in illegal logging, timber trafficking and gold mining are making billions, and authorities say stopping those networks requires determined law enforcement and international cooperation.
Last week, Brazilian police, supported by Interpol, destroyed more than 270 illegal mining dredges on the Madeira River, while LEAP has evolved to coordinate cross-border investigations and seize illicit wood and minerals.
Authorities said the raids dealt a significant blow to criminal groups linked to gold-smuggling networks as the new phase expands to target illegal mining in the Amazon Basin and enhance intelligence-sharing.
Led by Interpol in partnership with UNODC, the program is funded by Norway's International Climate and Forest Initiative and builds on LEAP's evolution since 2018 to coordinate cross-border investigations.

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