Paraguayan authorities arrested 26 people in an operation against illegal deforestation. This took place in the tri-border area between Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay, as reported by Interpol in the last hours.
Since mid-October, together with the collaboration of 14 agencies, they carried out border inspections, surveillance of waterways, and aerial monitoring of forests.
Illegal deforestation: the mega-border operation
As part of the operation, approximately 1000 logs were seized, including quebracho wood, valued for its density and high tannin content.
How they fight deforestation.
Interpol detailed that the companies involved in the alleged deforestation are about 12. Additionally, they are accused of trafficking native tree species.
“Illegal deforestation encompasses a broad spectrum of criminal activities, from document fraud to money laundering and corruption,” said Kat Henn, Deputy Director of Environmental Security at Interpol.
“This operation highlights the urgent need to continue sustained cross-border and inter-agency cooperation to confront criminal networks that devastate our environment for profit,” she added.
A spokesperson added that the crimes would include illegal logging of various tree species, illicit timber trafficking, the use of false documents to traffic illegal timber, and various acts of deforestation.
Combating deforestation in the region
According to the international agency, its presence has increased in the so-called Triple Border in recent years. The area is “favorable for a wide range of illegal activities.”
“Organized crime is increasingly making forest areas their operations center, not only to hide but to illegally extract flora, fauna, and mineral resources,” said human rights defender Gimena Sanchez to the AP agency in Washington for Latin American Affairs.
Combating deforestation in South America “means fighting against sophisticated networks of transnational organized crime,” she added.
The fight against deforestation.
Although there have been some advances in recent years in the fight against this crime, especially in Brazil and Colombia, Latin America lost 138 million hectares (approximately 341 million acres) of forest between 1990 and 2020, according to a report by United Nations.
