Man is accused of leading illegal diamond mining within indigenous lands in Rondônia

Man is denounced for leading illegal diamond mining within indigenous lands of Ro The Federal Public Ministry (MPF) denounced Valmir Goes de Jesus, known as "Maquita", for coordinating an illegal diamond mining with 15 men and a super structure within the Roosevelt Indigenous Land and Aripuanã Park, federally restricted territories located in Rondônia. The complaint was accepted by the Federal Court and is being processed at the Federal Civil and Criminal Court of Vilhena (RO). ?TI Roosevelt has more than 230 hectares of expansion and spreads between Rondônia and Mato Grosso. According to the Instituto Socioambiental (ISA), more than 1,800 indigenous people live in the area, including the Apurinã and Cinta Larga ethnic groups. ?The Aripuanã Indigenous Park is located in the municipality of Vilhena (RO) and has more than 1,600 hectares. Cinta Larga indigenous people also live in the region, as well as isolated peoples. ??The accused was arrested red-handed by the Federal Police (PF) and the Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama) on May 25, 2023. The arrest took place during Operation Oraculum, which combats environmental crimes in the "Garimpo Lajes" region. g1 had access to the complaint made by the MPF and the document shows that Valmir did not act alone, but was a fundamental player in the organization of the mining. He headed logistics and used tactics to outwit the police inside the forest. Read also: VIDEO: Prisoners escape from the police station by jumping over a wall in the district of Porto Velho Woman is found dead with her hands tied in Porto Velho Servers are removed after an 'intimate act' was caught in an official car belonging to the city hall of Jaru, RO According to the MPF, the base headed by Maquita was well structured. The objective was to maintain diamond extraction and avoid arrests. To monitor the work and warn of the arrival of the police, they used a radio not registered with the National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel). The device had an adapted antenna, called a "shower", to increase the signal. The group used motor pumps to extract the diamonds, which caused deforestation and soil destruction. The complaint says that Valmir knew the entire mining structure, which included dozens of heavy machines, such as excavators. The prospector used a motorcycle to travel quickly along illegal roads in the reserve. He was arrested by the PF while he was driving, with the radio on. When approached by the police, Valmir confessed to the crime. He told the agents that he had been at that camp for 15 days. However, he admitted that he had already been working in illegal mining in that federally protected area for at least five years. No agreement with the courts The MPF argues that, due to the severity, length of time and level of organization of the accused in the environmental crime, he must face the common criminal process and go to trial, without the right to shortcuts or legal agreements. Valmir was charged with four crimes: Diamond theft (usurpation of Union assets); Illegal extraction of minerals (environmental crime made worse by occurring on indigenous land); Invasion of public lands; Use of pirate radio (clandestine telecommunications development). In addition to asking for the garimpeiro's arrest, the MPF wants the Federal Court to sentence him to pay compensation of at least R$200,000. The amount serves to repair the environmental and moral damage caused to nature and the region's indigenous people. In the process there are two telephone numbers linked to the accused. g1 tried to contact both, but did not receive a response until the last update of this report. Indigenous Land target of PF operation PF/Disclosure Equipment being burned on the Roosevelt Indigenous Land and Aripuanã Indigenous Park PF/Disclosure PF destroys equipment used for environmental crimes in Indigenous Lands of Rondônia PF/Disclosure Illustrative image Agência Brasil