The book "Selva: Madeireiros, Garimpeiros e Corruptos na Amazônia Sem Lei" ("Jungle: Loggers, prospectors and Corruption in the Lawless Amazon") reconstitutes the journey of police chief Alexandre Saraiva in the ten years in which he was superintendent of the Federal Police in Roraima, Maranhão, and Amazonas.
"I have included in the book all the things that I can prove without a doubt. I've avoided any inferences. I left that up to the reader", says Saraiva about the publication, which hits bookstores this week.
The narrative runs through 17 Federal Police operations. And it starts with Saraiva’s clash with the then Minister of the Environment Ricardo Salles, in 2021 – both lost their positions. In the center of the conflict were 226 thousand m3 of illegal wood, gathered during the Handroanthus operation. It was the biggest seizure in history, with a volume of logs to fill 7,500 trucks.
Salles insisted that the product was legal. Saraiva denounced the minister for suspicion of being part of a criminal organization. The book tells how the military abandoned that operation, and the police chief was later transferred to Volta Redonda.
The book 'Selva' connects environmental destruction to organized crime, "with tentacles running through state and federal governments and even overseas".
Translated by Cassy Dias