UAE coordinates major crackdown on environmental crime in the Amazon

In a major breakthrough for global environmental law enforcement, 'Operation Green Shield' has disrupted criminal networks across the Amazon Basin, in a joint initiative led by the UAE Ministry of Interior.

The two-week campaign, through the ministry's International Initiative of Law Enforcement for Climate (I2LEC), resulted in 94 arrests and the seizure of illegal assets worth over $64 million.

Coordinated from a central command centre in Bogotá, the operation involved more than 1,500 officers from Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, with strategic oversight from the UAE and technical support from ESRI.

Teams carried out over 350 field operations, targeting illegal mining, logging, wildlife trafficking and fuel smuggling.

Among the key results:

• Over 310 tonnes of raw minerals and 61 tonnes of calcium oxide seized.
• More than 2,100 live animals rescued and over 6,000 dead specimens (birds, lizards, mammals) recovered.
• Over 3,800 cubic meters of illegal timber confiscated.
• 39,000 gallons of smuggled fuel intercepted.
• 530 pieces of heavy equipment, including bulldozers, trucks, crushers and other vehicles taken off the field.

One of the most dramatic breakthroughs came in Peru, where police dismantled a major wildlife trafficking gang and rescued 1,400 live animals.

In Colombia, authorities disrupted three organised crime groups, including a cell linked to the notorious Clan del Golfo.

Lt. Colonel Dana Humaid, Director-General of the International Affairs Bureau at the UAE Ministry of Interior and Coordinator of I2LEC, hailed the operation as a landmark moment in climate-focused law enforcement, emphasising the power of international cooperation and real-time intelligence sharing.

With more arrests expected, Operation Green Shield marks a bold step forward in protecting the Amazon and combating environmental crime worldwide.

بتوجيهات القيادة الرشيدة بأهمية حماية البيئة واستدامة مواردها، تواصل دولة الإمارات تنفيذ مبادرتها العالمية “إنفاذ القانون من أجل المناخ” (I2LEC)، التي أُطلقت بالشراكة مع مكتب الأمم المتحدة المعني بالمخدرات والجريمة (UNODC) خلال مؤتمر “كوب 28” عام 2023، بهدف تعزيز قدرات أجهزة… pic.twitter.com/d4g9mapu0P

— سيف بن زايد آل نهيان (@SaifBZayed) July 8, 2025