Brazilian police have arrested a businessman, identified as Bruno Heller, in Novo Progresso, southern Pará, accused of being responsible for deforesting over 6,500 hectares of the Amazon rainforest.
This action was part of a federal operation called “Retomada,” aimed at combating fraudulent land registration for deforestation.
The courts have frozen 16 farms, 10,000 heads of cattle, and 116 million reals (US$23.5 million) linked to the criminal group of which Heller is believed to be the head.
He was arrested with unregistered raw gold and an illegal weapon in his possession.
Investigations revealed that Heller’s group allegedly seized more than 21,000 hectares of land belonging to the Brazilian government, altering the records.
Furthermore, they were found to have destroyed over 6,500 hectares of Amazonian forest.
According to the Federal Police, the environmental damages were exacerbated by the encroachment on lands adjacent to indigenous territories and conservation units.
They also claim that the businessman led the criminal group fraudulently registered nearby lands under third parties’ names, mainly relatives.
These lands would then be deforested for cattle breeding, shielding the real culprits from potential legal or administrative actions.