With a license that only allowed them to carry out research, entrepreneurs extracted gold illegally, devastating an extensive area of forest in the north of the country, according to the Federal Police. "Although it is a simple search authorization, it appears that those investigated have been illegally mining the site," said the police officers in the investigation that supported Operation Greed, one of the three actions launched against the group on Thursday (7).
As a Folha report showed, one of the suspects, businessman Márcio Macedo Sobrinho, a partner at Gana Gold, currently M.M Gold, lived a life of luxury. Information collected by the PF revealed millionaire transactions in their accounts and expenses with helicopters, speedboats, imported trucks, and a wedding party with the entertainment of famous country duos.
The police estimate that companies linked to Sobrinho moved around R$ 16 billion between 2019 and 2021. The investigation shows that the group did not have mining authorization to carry out the activity in an area linked to the municipality of Itaituba (PA). Mining is the type of license issued by the government that allows the extraction of ore.
Translated by Kiratiana Freelon