The Brazilian Federal Police (PF) launched, on the morning of Monday, July 10, Operation Fruits of Gold, which investigates a group that would be related to the seizure of approximately 5 kg of gold at Boa Vista Airport, in Roraima, in 2019. The five search and seizure warrants were carried out in Boa Vista and São Paulo.

The group would have moved approximately US$16 million through illegal mining and money laundering. Investigations began after a suspect tried to board with 5 kg of gold at Boa Vista Airport, bound for Campinas, in the central region of the state of São Paulo. The group allegedly had connections with a gold exploration network extracted from the Yanomami Indigenous Land.

Ferrogrão afetará pelo menos 6 terras indígenas, 17 unidades de conservação e 3 povos isolados

According to the Federal Police, a jewelry store in São Paulo, with more than US$10 million in transactions, is suspected of sending money to the suspect who tried to board with 5kg of gold. Another suspect allegedly received wages totaling around US$1,000 and had more than US$3 million in financial transactions.

To move these financial resources, the group would use a seafood trading company in Boa Vista.

This is the eighth operation by the Brazilian Federal Police launched in 2023 with the aim of finding the origins and destinations of resources extracted from illegal mining.

Edited by: Leandro Melito