Seized timber enough to fill 110 Olympic pools; over 3,000 animals rescued
Police from Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru arrested 839 people and seized massive quantities of illegally harvested timber, minerals and wildlife during a 16-day multinational operation across the Amazon Basin, authorities said Tuesday.
Operation Green Shield 2026, which ran from July 15-31, deployed more than 3,600 officers targeting illegal mining, logging, wildlife trafficking, fuel smuggling and land grabbing — the illegal seizure or occupation of land often followed by forest clearing. Officials described the operation as a major multinational crackdown on environmental crime.
The operation carried out 1,045 field actions, resulting in the seizure of more than 280,000 cubic meters of illegally harvested timber — enough to fill roughly 110 Olympic-sized swimming pools — along with 195 metric tons of minerals and equipment used in illegal mining like gold, carbon, iron and copper, according to officials.
Authorities also rescued more than 3,000 live animals and recovered at least 430 dead animals linked to wildlife trafficking. The animals included snakes, birds, lizards and fish, officials said.