Over 800 arrested in UAE-led operation to fight environmental crime in Amazon basin

A UAE-led operation to tackle environmental crime in the Amazon basin has seen the arrests of 839 individuals and the seizure of harvested timber, illegal mining equipment, fuel and minerals that is valued over $280million.

Pegged as the one of the largest ever coordinated international policing operations, Operation Green Shield 2026 saw law enforcement agencies from Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, join forces with the UAE's International Initiative of Law Enforcement for Climate (I2LEC).

It combined intelligence-led investigations, cross-border planning and real-time information sharing to tackle criminal networks involved in illegal mining, logging, wildlife trafficking, fuel smuggling, land grabbing and related crimes that threaten biodiversity, local communities and regional stability.

Coordinated from a multinational command centre in Bogotá, the operation involved the deployment of more than 3,600 law enforcement personnel and 1,045 field operations.

The operation saw the seizure of 280,450 cubic metres of illegally harvested timber, more than 195 tonnes of minerals, 32,000 pieces of equipment used in illegal mining activities and more than 550 gallons of fuel.

The operation also identified 800 incidents of illegal fishing, and led to the rescue of more than 3,079 live animals and recovery of at least 1,136 dead animals linked to wildlife trafficking. 

Green Shield 2026 is part of a series of I2LEC global policing operations, a UAE-led global platform established in partnership with UNODC in 2023 to strengthen the role of law enforcement in addressing environmental crime and climate-related security risks.