MPF asks for R$1.56 billion in compensation for damages caused by illegal mining in the national forest in AM. Disclosure/MPF The Federal Public Ministry (MPF) filed a public civil action against 13 people accused of being part of an illegal gold mining scheme that operated for around three years in the Urupadi National Forest, in Maués, in the interior of Amazonas. In the action, the agency asks that those investigated be ordered to pay R$1.567 billion in compensation for collective environmental and moral damages. According to the MPF, the illegal activity took place between April 2023 and August 2025, in the region known as “Filão do Abacaxis”, without authorization from the National Mining Agency (ANM) or environmental licensing. Investigations indicate that the group, whose identity was not disclosed, illegally extracted around 71.1 kilos of gold, valued at approximately R$56.8 million. According to the agency, the exploration caused deforestation to open roads, clandestine landing strips and camps, in addition to the contamination of waterways in the Abacaxis River basin with mercury and cyanide. ? Join the g1 AM channel on WhatsApp According to the action, the scheme operated in an organized and uninterrupted manner, with division of functions between members. The camp had dozens of tents covered in tarpaulin, a canteen, a clandestine landing strip and an armed security system that operated on duty. According to the MPF, those investigated were involved in managing the mining, leasing the area, selling illegally extracted gold and hiding the resources obtained from the activity. Environmental damage The technical report prepared during the investigation indicates that the mining devastated approximately 3.72 hectares of native vegetation within the Urupadi National Forest and caused the siltation of around 1 million cubic meters of soil. Furthermore, the document indicates chemical contamination of water courses by mercury and cyanide, substances considered harmful to the environment and human health. Environmental losses were estimated at R$210.2 million. Ipaam fines Mineração Taboca R$22.5 million for pollution in a river close to indigenous land in AM Requests to the Court In the action, the MPF asks that the defendants be ordered to compensate for material damages estimated at R$210.2 million, in addition to returning the equivalent to the value of the illegally extracted gold, around R$56.8 million. The agency also requests that each of the 13 investigated be sentenced to pay R$100 million for collective moral damages. According to the Public Ministry, the value takes into account the severity of environmental degradation, the continuity of the activity even after interventions by public authorities, the lack of recovery of the degraded area and the contamination of water resources. Combined, the compensation requests reach R$1.567 billion. In addition to financial compensation, the MPF requires that those investigated be obliged to fully recover the degraded area through the execution of a Degraded Area Recovery Plan (Prad), which must be approved by the Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama), by the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio), responsible for managing the conservation unit, and by the National Mining Agency. Those investigated are also facing criminal action for crimes such as usurpation of Union assets, illegal mining and other crimes related to clandestine mineral exploration. According to the MPF, the civil action is the result of the work of the 2nd Office of the Western Amazon (19th Office of the Attorney General's Office in Amazonas), specialized in combating illegal mining in the states of Amazonas, Acre, Rondônia and Roraima. Operation dismantles illegal mining in Amazonas