All articles tagged with #environmental crime
Brazilian police, supported by Interpol, dismantled 277 illegal gold mining dredges along the Madeira River, causing a significant blow to organized crime and environmental damage in the Amazon, as part of a broader regional crackdown on environmental crimes.
A South Korean man was arrested at Lima's Jorge Chávez International Airport for attempting to smuggle 320 tarantulas, 110 centipedes, and nine bullet ants out of Peru, strapped to his body. The insects, taken from the Madre de Dios region, were found in ziplock bags during a search. The man was en route to South Korea via France and is now under investigation by Peru's environmental crimes prosecutor. The incident highlights ongoing issues with illegal wildlife trafficking in South America.
The European Union has passed an updated environmental crime directive that will introduce tougher penalties and prison sentences, including up to 10 years, for the most serious cases of environmental damage comparable to ecocide. The directive covers activities such as ecosystem destruction, illegal logging, and habitat loss, and aims to put an end to environmental impunity in Europe. The new law also holds individuals, including CEOs and board members, personally liable for environmental crimes if they were aware of the consequences of their decisions and had the power to stop them. While considered revolutionary, some experts believe that the directive could go further and advocate for the inclusion of a public prosecutor at the EU level.
The upcoming summit of Amazon nations will focus on combating "narco-deforestation," a new breed of criminal activity that involves drug trafficking and illegal deforestation in the Amazon rainforest. Criminal groups are using drug routes to transport illegally harvested gold and wood, leading to an increasing overlap between drug trafficking and environmental crimes. The Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) is expected to reach an agreement to cooperate on combating these crimes. Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has proposed measures to combat environmental crime, including the creation of a specialized Federal Police directorate and a center for international police cooperation. The summit aims to improve cooperation between Amazon countries and international agencies to address the issue of narco-deforestation.