An INTERPOL-coordinated offensive against deforestation networks, illegal mining, and wildlife trafficking left 233 people arrested in nine countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, including El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama. The operation also made it possible to recover more than 1,000 live animals and identify 60,000 hectares of forest illegally logged.
Operation Mother Earth VIII, carried out between June 1 and July 31, brought together security forces from Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama. The operation was coordinated from INTERPOL's Regional Office for Central America, based in San Salvador. According to INTERPOL, the organizations under investigation moved timber, protected species, and minerals along routes that are also used for other illegal markets.
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Rescue of an iguana in Costa Rica (Photo courtesy of INTERPOL)A coordinated offensive by INTERPOL against deforestation networks, illegal mining, and wildlife trafficking left 233 people arrested in nine countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, including El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama. The operation also made it possible to recover more than 1,000 live animals and identify 60,000 hectares of forest illegally logged. Operation Mother Earth VIII, carried out between June 1 and July 31, brought together security forces from Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama. The operation was coordinated from the INTERPOL Regional Office for Central America, based in San Salvador. According to INTERPOL, the organizations under investigation moved timber, protected species, and minerals along routes that are also used for other illegal markets. A pair of toucans recovered in Costa Rica (Photo courtesy of INTERPOL)Dried shark fins recovered while in transit in Panama (Photo courtesy of INTERPOL)In Guatemala, birds hidden in boxes were seized (Photo courtesy of INTERPOL)Rescue of an iguana in Costa Rica (Photo courtesy of INTERPOL)Exotic birds, including parrots, were seized in Costa Rica (Photo courtesy of INTERPOL)A Salvadoran man was arrested for logging trees without environmental permits. Deforestation is pursued by the authorities (Photo courtesy of INTERPOL)Costa Rican authorities seized 4.6 tons of cyanide (Photo courtesy of INTERPOL)Panamanians engaged in illegal mining were arrested by national authorities (Photo courtesy of INTERPOL)Illegal mining activities were interrupted in Guatemala (Photo courtesy of INTERPOL)