RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Civil Police Operation Castelo de Ouro closed three clandestine mines in the Castelo de Sonhos district in Altamira, southeast Pará, on Thursday, August 29th. Two people were arrested.
Police officers from the Police Station Specialized in Agrarian Conflicts of Altamira and Santarém were active in the investigation of environmental crimes in the region. According to the police, these mines are significantly large in size.
According to the investigations, the activities had been causing direct and indirect environmental damage from gold extraction involving demolitions, excavations, river pollution, among other problems. The mines were fully operational when the police arrived.
The police seized seven excavators, two crawler tractors, two amalgamation drums, and a chainsaw.