Only 9 of 421 illegal mining sites in the Yanomami Indigenous Land, the largest in Brazil, had any type of police action, within a plan formulated by the Jair Bolsonaro government to attempt to remove miners who are illegally looking for gold in the region.
This means that police raids only took place in 2.1% of the mining areas.
The finding was made by the Federal Public Ministry in Roraima, in an investigation into the implementation of the operational plan formulated by the Ministry of Justice and Public Security for the removal of miners from the Yanomami territory. The withdrawal was a determination of the Federal Court.
The absence of police operations is just one of the problems in combating illegal activity in the largest indigenous land in the country.
Of the 277 support points used by miners, such as airstrips and clandestine ports, only 70 (25%) have been inspected since 2020, according to the MPF.
Translated by Kiratiana Freelon