Illegal mining and organised crime in the Amazon: deforestation advances together with crime, study shows
IISS study indicates that illegal gold mining in the Amazon fuels criminal networks and accounts for up to 15% of regional deforestation.
Illegal mining threatens territorial sovereignty and public health in the Amazon, think tank warns
Illegal gold mining in the Amazon has ceased to be merely an environmental issue and has become a threat to Brazil's national security, public health, and territorial sovereignty. This is the conclusion of a case study by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), published on 5 September 2026 and reported by exame.com.
The survey was prepared by specialists Irene Mia and Fernanda Rios Herrera and analyses the expansion of illicit gold extraction, its relationship with environmental crimes, and the infiltration of criminal networks in the region.
Deforestation and mercury: the physical traces of mining
Unsustainable gold mining practices account for between 10% and 15% of total forest loss in the Amazon, according to the study. Brazil contains more than 60% of the Amazon rainforest and roughly 85% of the region's forest loss — despite recent declines in deforestation rates. The states of Amazonas, Pará, and Roraima are the most affected by the expansion of mining activities.
The opening of areas to access gold deposits and the construction of infrastructure for transporting equipment and fuel directly accelerate deforestation. The destruction of habitats exacerbates the loss of biodiversity in a region that is home to roughly 30% of the planet's species and is considered essential for global climate balance.
Mercury contamination represents another critical impact. Used to separate gold from sediment, the metal reaches rivers, soil, and air, and can transform into methylmercury — a highly toxic substance that enters the food chain and affects communities that depend on fishing, hunting, and agriculture. Although the Minamata Convention, ratified in 2016, prohibits the importation of the element, tonnes of the metal continue to reach Brazil clandestinely, coming from countries such as India, Mexico, and Tajikistan.
Informal gold and industrial-scale operations disguised as small-scale mining
Mining has significant weight in the Brazilian economy: it accounted for nearly 20% of total export revenue in 2024. Gold represents roughly 2% of that total, but its production grew by 27.6% compared to the previous year, driven by international prices and global demand for assets considered safe.
The central problem, according to the IISS, is that gold mining — an activity legally authorised on a small scale — has begun operating with levels of mechanisation and scale close to those of industrial mining. The regulatory model, created for smaller operations, became outdated in the face of this transformation.
The study estimates that roughly 34% of gold produced in Brazil between 2021 and 2022 had irregular origins. Traceability measures adopted between 2022 and 2025 reduced the figure to approximately 8% of the official total, but the activity continued to advance over protected areas. In 2022, roughly 77% of mining areas identified showed signs of illegality, including operations on indigenous lands and environmental reserves without the necessary authorisations. The lands of the Kayapó, Munduruku, and Yanomami peoples were especially affected.
Organised crime controls the logistics of "drug-mining"
The IISS identifies a convergence between illegal mining and other forms of crime: drug and human trafficking, forced labour, sexual exploitation, money laundering, and illegal trade in mercury and weapons. This phenomenon is described by specialists as "drug-mining".
Criminal groups do not necessarily extract gold directly, but they control the logistics that enable operations — fuel, transport, clandestine airstrips, equipment, and even internet access. The transport and distribution of mercury within Brazilian territory falls into the hands of these networks, which have a strong presence in the sector.
The study cites the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) and Comando Vermelho (CV) as Brazilian protagonists of organised crime in the Amazon region, in addition to foreign organisations such as the FARC, from Colombia, and regional groups. These factions have been expanding their operations on supply routes and in markets associated with illegal mining.
Amazon geography itself worsens the situation: large distances, porous borders, and limited state presence create conditions favourable to informality. Structural poverty makes the exploitation of natural resources an economic alternative for communities without access to other income sources, including indigenous villages.
IISS advocates strategy beyond police operations
In the IISS's assessment, combating illegal mining requires an approach that goes beyond surveillance operations. The strategy must combine repression with formalisation of the sector and development policies for vulnerable populations in the region.
The rise in commodity prices and the high level of informality in the sector continue to expand the incentives for new clandestine operations, making effective combat against illegal activities in the Amazon more difficult.
Source: Google News BR — Crime