Laura Gamba
07 October 2026•Update: 07 October 2026
A major international law enforcement operation targeting environmental crimes in Latin America and the Caribbean resulted Wednesday in 233 arrests, the rescue of more than 1,000 animals and the identification of 60,000 hectares (147,263 acres) of illegally deforested land.
The multi-agency deployment, dubbed Operation Madre Tierra VIII, was carried out by Interpol in nine countries: Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama and the Dominican Republic, according to the International Police Organization.
Law enforcement agencies investigated more than 330 cases involving illegal logging, illicit mining, and the trafficking of wildlife and timber during the course of the operation. Alongside those arrested, authorities identified 312 additional suspects and executed 313 seizures, recovering weapons, ammunition and up to 4.6 tons of hazardous chemicals, including mercury and cyanide, commonly used in illegal gold mining.
A major focal point emerged in Colombia, where authorities launched investigations into eleven foreign enterprises linked to industrial-scale deforestation in the Amazon basin. The network was responsible for clearing more than 52,000 hectares of protected rainforest, according to investigators.
Operational intelligence further uncovered ties to 161 companies and 65 individuals spanning multiple continents, revealing suspicious foreign investments, shell corporations and regulatory permit irregularities. Target raids in Colombia led to 16 arrests and the recovery of crucial digital evidence.
The operation highlighted trafficking corridors connecting Latin American biodiversity hubs to destination markets in Europe, Asia and North America.
In Mexico, authorities recovered several big cats along routes frequently used by transnational syndicates to traffic narcotics and illicit commodities. Among the rescued animals were two endangered Bengal tigers, including a rare white tiger, as well as lions, ocelots and jaguars.
Across the region, law enforcement recovered CITES-listed exotic birds, such as green and red macaws in Nicaragua, alongside rare reptiles and insects. Officials also seized 165 kilograms (364 pounds) of dried shark fins valued at approximately $280,000.
Interpol emphasized that modern environmental investigations must look beyond low-level poachers and loggers to dismantling the financial infrastructure bankrolling environmental destruction.
"Tracing payments helps a case move beyond the individuals physically harvesting timber, handling animals, or extracting gold to focus on the companies that finance, manage, and profit from the trade," said Krandall Gullock, head of Interpol's Regional Bureau for Central America.
