Operation Green Shield: Combating Environmental Crime with International Cooperation
Operation Green Shield led by UAE targeted environmental crimes in the Amazon Basin, resulting in the arrest of 94 individuals and seizure of assets worth over $64 million. The operation involved collaboration between Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, focusing on activities like illegal mining, wildlife trafficking, and fuel smuggling.
- Country:
- Colombia
In a major push against environmental crime, a multinational law enforcement operation known as Operation Green Shield has seized over $64 million in illegal assets and arrested 94 individuals across the Amazon Basin. This massive crackdown was coordinated by the United Arab Emirates and involved more than 1,500 officers from Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
The extensive operation, which spanned from June 23 to July 6, targeted illegal activities such as mining, wildlife trafficking, logging, and fuel smuggling in some of the Amazon's most remote regions. Established under the UAE Ministry of Interior's International Initiative of Law Enforcement for Climate (I2LEC), the campaign saw coordination from a central command in Colombia's capital, Bogota, utilizing real-time data sharing.
Authorities across the involved nations conducted over 350 raids, recovering raw minerals, timber, smuggled fuel, and numerous live and dead animals from illegal networks. The operation highlighted the pivotal role of international cooperation in combating environmental crime, impacting Indigenous lands and communities, while reinforcing national and global environmental objectives.
(With inputs from agencies.)
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