Brazil destroyed R$ 700 million in machinery, arrested 67 people, and dismantled a thousand camps — but illegal mining continues to advance 35,000 hectares per year in the Amazon.

Written by Douglas Avila

Published on 06/05/2026 at 06:02

Updated on 06/05/2026 at 06:03

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Brazil destroyed R$ 700 million in illegal miners’ machinery, arrested 67 people in a single operation, and dismantled over a thousand camps in the Amazon — but satellite imagery shows the devastated area grew by another 35,000 hectares in the last year alone.

According to Ibama and MapBiomas, Brazil has intensified operations against illegal mining over the last three years.

However, satellite monitoring reveals that total destruction has already reached 263,000 hectares — and the pace of expansion has not slowed.

The rise in gold prices in 2026 reached record levels in international markets.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW

The numbers of illegal mining in the Amazon: what the satellite reveals

Heavy excavators opening a crater in the Amazon rainforest due to illegal mining — Excavators like those destroyed in the Sararé operation, which resulted in R$ 700 million in seized machinery

Data from MapBiomas, a national reference in satellite environmental monitoring, shows a worrying scenario. Illegal mining destroyed 263,000 hectares of forest in Brazil — an area comparable to the sum of several entire municipalities.

Furthermore, growth was accelerated. Between 2018 and 2022, mined areas expanded by 265%. In the same period, 62.3% of all new areas opened by mining were within legally protected territories.

In the last 12 months alone, the advance was another 35,000 hectares.

To give an idea, this is equivalent to the entire territory of Curitiba (PR) being excavated and contaminated with mercury within Amazonian forests and rivers.

263,000 hectares destroyed in total accumulated in Brazil
+265% growth in mined areas between 2018 and 2022
35,000 hectares advanced in the last year alone
92% of mining concentrated in the Amazon
62.3% of areas opened in the last 5 years were in legally protected zones

In other words, the destruction is not random. It specifically targets territories with the highest legal protection and greatest mineral wealth.

According to IBRAM, this has been the historical pattern of illegal mining in Brazil since the 1980s.

The mega-operation in Sararé: 67 arrests and R$ 700 million in destroyed machinery

Amazonian river contaminated by illegal mining with muddy water and degraded banks — Amazonian rivers affected by mercury and mud contamination from illegal mining

The Sararé Indigenous Land has 67,000 hectares in Mato Grosso and is inhabited by the Nambikwara ethnic group.

According to G1, the mega-operation in March 2026 resulted in 67 arrests and the dismantling of approximately one thousand camps over three consecutive years of operations.

Consequently, the total value of destroyed equipment reached R$ 700 million. This includes over 500 excavators, dredges, and support structures.

In practice, it is one of the largest seizures in the history of combating illegal mining in the country.

To get an idea of the scale, the 4,200 hectares devastated within Sararé alone are equivalent to over 5,800 football fields of native forest cleared for gold extraction.

The scars left by heavy machinery are visible in low-resolution satellite images.

Therefore, the operational effort was enormous. However, as MapBiomas data shows, every real invested in destroying machinery is quickly recouped by gold profits — especially when the metal is at an all-time high.

Ibama also carried out another large-scale operation in Sararé in October 2025. However, the pattern repeats: criminal groups return months later with new machinery, financed by the appreciation of gold.

Record gold prices as the driver of illegal mining in 2026

Gold reached historical prices in 2026.

Thus, the financial equation of crime became even more attractive: the risk of being arrested or having equipment destroyed is calculated as an operational cost, not a real impediment.

According to G1, the appreciation of the metal boosted the advance of illegal mining into new regions of the Amazon in 2026.

Mato Grosso, Rondônia, Amazonas, and Pará concentrate the main hotspots — but the expansion reaches areas previously considered low-risk.

Furthermore, the financial model of illegal mining has professionalized. Thus, groups with access to capital can reconstitute destroyed operations in weeks, buying new machinery and returning to the same previously inspected areas.

PCC and CV: criminal factions allied with mining in the Amazon

Ibama agents in an operation to combat illegal mining in the Amazon — Operations like the one in Sararé Indigenous Land resulted in 67 arrests and the dismantling of a thousand camps

An alarming fact emerges from the 2025 security reports. The PCC and CV are present in 344 municipalities of the Legal Amazon, according to the Brazilian Forum on Public Security (FBSP).

In 2022, this number was 260 municipalities — a growth of 32% in three years.

In this sense, clandestine mining, loggers, and land grabbers form an integrated network. It challenges the State in hard-to-reach territories.

According to ClimaInfo, the factions act as financiers and protectors of the operations, providing logistics, armed security, and channels for gold to flow into the formal market.

The indigenous lands most affected by illegal mining

Illegal extraction targets territories with the greatest mineral wealth, which are frequently demarcated indigenous lands. According to IBRAM, the most affected territories are:

Kayapó Indigenous Land (PA/MT): 13,700 hectares destroyed
Munduruku Indigenous Land (PA): 5,500 hectares devastated
Yanomami Indigenous Land (AM/RR): 3,300 hectares compromised
Sararé Indigenous Land (MT): 4,200 hectares (Nambikwara ethnic group)
Tenharim do Igarapé Preto Indigenous Land (AM

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Brazil destroyed R$ 700 million in machinery, arrested 67 people, and dismantled a thousand camps — but illegal mining continues to advance 35,000 hectares per year in the Amazon.

Brazil destroyed R$ 700 million in illegal miners’ machinery, arrested 67 people in a single operation, and dismantled over a thousand camps in the Amazon — but satellite imagery shows the devastated area grew by another 35,000 hectares in the last year alone.

The numbers of illegal mining in the Amazon: what the satellite reveals

The mega-operation in Sararé: 67 arrests and R$ 700 million in destroyed machinery

Record gold prices as the driver of illegal mining in 2026

PCC and CV: criminal factions allied with mining in the Amazon

The indigenous lands most affected by illegal mining

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Brazil destroyed R$ 700 million in machinery, arrested 67 people, and dismantled a thousand camps — but illegal mining continues to advance 35,000 hectares per year in the Amazon.

Brazil destroyed R$ 700 million in illegal miners’ machinery, arrested 67 people in a single operation, and dismantled over a thousand camps in the Amazon — but satellite imagery shows the devastated area grew by another 35,000 hectares in the last year alone.

The numbers of illegal mining in the Amazon: what the satellite reveals

The mega-operation in Sararé: 67 arrests and R$ 700 million in destroyed machinery

Record gold prices as the driver of illegal mining in 2026

PCC and CV: criminal factions allied with mining in the Amazon

The indigenous lands most affected by illegal mining

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