Illegal mining in Amazonas: MPF asks the Court to force agencies to act in an integrated manner

"What is being asked here is no longer an operation. There has already been a lot of operations: hundreds of dredgers were destroyed and, months later, everything was back in the same place. What is missing is permanent organization. Each body works in isolation, without common planning and without continuity, and it is precisely this disorganization that guarantees illegal mining the certainty that it can return. Meanwhile, the mercury remains in the fish that communities eat every day, and people remain threatened within their own villages", highlights the prosecutor of the Republic André Porreca, holder of the 2nd Office of the Western Amazon (19th Office of PR/AM) of the MPF. What the MPF asks Among the main measures requested are: creation of a permanent structure to coordinate the bodies; annual calendar of integrated operations; state plan to combat illegal mining; fixed inspection bases in the Javari Valley and on the Madeira, Japurá, Puruê and Abacaxis rivers; protocol for arrests in the act; permanent participation of the Military Police of Amazonas and Ipaam; support of the Armed Forces; reinforcement of teams and equipment. As a matter of urgency, the MPF requests that the coordination structure be created within 60 days and that the operations calendar be presented within 90 days. The body also wants the Court to monitor compliance with the measures through reports and hearings. Mining in different regions In the Madeira River sub-basin, an overflight carried out in July 2025 recorded more than 400 dredgers between Calama (RO) and Novo Aripuanã (AM). As of August 2024, 459 vessels had been destroyed. Months later, satellite images identified around 130 ferries again in the region. On the Japurá and Puruê rivers, on the border with Colombia, the Federal Police identified dredgers valued at more than R$10 million and the activities of dissidents from the former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). In Vale do Javari and Alto Solimões, reports from Funai and Ibama pointed to the presence of dredgers, excavators and clandestine landing strips in indigenous areas, including where isolated peoples and groups of recent contact live. In Humaitá and the Abacaxis River region, investigations recorded environmental degradation, silting of rivers, armed groups and episodes of violence related to mining. READ ALSO: MPF asks for R$ 1.56 billion in compensation for damages caused by illegal mining in national forest in AM Environment Day: report warns of extreme droughts and illegal mining as threats in Amazonas Study detects mercury in fish from the Madeira River and alerts riverside residents to health risks Mercury and violence According to the MPF, the expansion of mining also causes mercury contamination and an increase in violence. A study by the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) cited in the action found that 21.3% of fish samples analyzed in six Amazonian states had mercury levels above the safety limit. Among Yanomami women and children from the Maturacá and Ariabu villages, 56% showed contamination above the reference parameters. The investigations also recorded threats against public agents, clashes during operations and intimidation of indigenous leaders. The MPF also states that illegal mining is linked to criminal organizations, drug trafficking and money laundering. Lack of structure The MPF also points to a lack of servers and equipment for inspection. Ibama reported having 26 federal environmental agents in Amazonas. ICMBio reported that the Juami-Japurá Ecological Station has three servers with an operational profile. The Military Police said they did not have their own boats to patrol the rivers. Ipaam declared that it had not carried out inspection actions in 2024 and stated that it did not have the technical knowledge to render rafts used in mining unusable. According to the MPF, a Federal Police operation was canceled due to the Ibama shutdown. For the agency, the case demonstrates the lack of integration between the institutions. Attempts before action Before going to court, the MPF held public hearings in October 2025 and, the following month, sent a recommendation to 15 institutions. Among the proposals were the creation of a permanent coordination structure, an integrated calendar of operations and fixed inspection bases. According to the MPF, more than seven months later, none of the measures had been implemented. "Roraima showed that the problem has a solution. The difference between the two states is not in the size of the mining, it is in the existence of coordination. This is exactly what Amazonas does not have", emphasizes the public prosecutor André Porreca.