The UAE, in collaboration with international partners and authorities, has confiscated illicit goods worth over $32 million and arrested 25 suspects across various regions. This operation, dubbed 'Green Justice', significantly disrupted organized crime networks by seizing 2.4 tonnes of illegal wildlife and fish, 37 pieces of illegal fishing gear, 229 units of illegal mining equipment, and more than 10,498 cubic meters of illegally logged timber. Coordinated by the International Law Enforcement for Climate Initiative (I2LEC), this regional law enforcement effort has uncovered extensive environmental crimes in the Amazon region.
'Green Justice' received support from law enforcement agencies in Brazil, Peru, and Colombia, along with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI). It focused on the environmental criminal networks in the Amazon. The operation took place from June 24 to June 30, 2024, under the coordination of the I2LEC initiative, a UAE Ministry of Interior project, to gather intelligence for in-depth investigations into transnational environmental crime networks. This tri-border corridor in the Amazon rainforest, where Colombia, Peru, and Brazil meet, has been plagued by illegal activities such as smuggling, poaching, deforestation, and illegal mining. The operation also led to the seizure of various materials used in these environmental crimes.
Lt. Col. Dana Al Marzouqi, Director General of the Office of International Affairs and coordinator of the I2LEC initiative at the UAE Ministry of Interior, expressed pride in the initiative's ground-level achievements, emphasizing its commitment to supporting future operations and empowering law enforcement agencies worldwide to safeguard their natural resources. The results of the Green Justice operation have been incorporated into a heat map of environmental crimes, which will be analyzed using artificial intelligence. Notably, these environmental crimes are considered major offenses linked to other crimes like money laundering.
Brazilian Federal Police Commissioner Fabio Mertens highlighted the invaluable impact of 'Green Justice' in combating environmental crimes in the Amazon. He noted that the coordinated efforts under the I2LEC initiative mark a significant step in preserving the environment and curbing illegal activities in the region. General Gregorio Martin Villalon Trillo, Head of the Environmental Directorate of the National Police in Peru, thanked all dedicated law enforcement officers for their relentless efforts, emphasizing their professionalism and operational efficiency under the I2LEC initiative's leadership.
Brigadier William Castano from Colombia, Director of the Gendarmerie police environmental protection department, praised the international collaboration in Operation Green Justice, highlighting Colombia's role in stopping criminal activities at a busy Amazon Basin border crossing. More seizures and arrests are anticipated as part of ongoing investigations and coordination among the operation's participants, marking the start of a long-term global effort to combat environmental crimes in one of the world's most critical ecological regions.
Launched in 2023 by the UAE Ministry of Interior in partnership with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the International Law Enforcement for Climate Initiative is a global platform aimed at raising awareness, building capacity, and conducting research on crimes affecting the environment and climate change.
