RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Federal Police (PF), on May 26, launched Operation Catraia, in the municipality of Oiapoque, state of Amapá, on the French Guiana border, to fight the crime of illegal migration.
Approximately 10 federal police officers are conducting 2 search and seizure warrants at the residences of suspects under investigation for sending and smuggling people into Brazil by river to work in clandestine mining operations, mainly in French Guiana.
The investigation began on May 12 this year, after the Brazilian Army, while patrolling along the Oiapoque River, approached a suspicious vessel. However, the boat’s pilot fled and abandoned the vessel in a river tributary.
According to the Federal Police, inside the boat several objects were found, including personal items, which suggested that it was a means of transport for prospecting, as well as fuel, which characterizes the crime of smuggling.
This year, the Federal Police has launched three other operations in Oiapoque, during the months of February and March, targeting coyotes, as the criminals who promote illegal migration are known.
The name of the operation, Catraia (skiff), is a reference to the boats, very common in the Oiapoque region, used to transport people and goods to French Guiana and Suriname.