Illegal "black gold" extraction scheme is target of operation

The Federal Police carried out an operation, this Thursday morning (18), against a criminal organization suspected of an illegal mining and money laundering scheme in Amapá. The investigations indicate that those investigated were involved in the illegal extraction of cassiterite in clandestine mines in the state.

Widely used by industry, cassiterite is called "black gold" in mining areas. From it, it is possible to extract tin, essential for the electronics industry, according to the Federal Public Ministry.

During the action, six people were preventively arrested, in addition to the execution of three search and seizure warrants in the states of São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Amapá.

According to the PF, the criminal group would be responsible for illegal mining on a large scale and would have generated more than R$200 million.

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The investigations indicate that those investigated were carrying out the so-called heating of clandestinely extracted ore, totaling more than 670 tons of cassiterite, through the use of fraudulent documentation to insert illegal production into the formal market.

The operation is an offshoot of the first phase of Operation Iron Throne, in February this year, when six people were arrested and R$405 million in goods and valuables blocked.

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In this morning's action (18), there was also the blocking of assets worth approximately R$250 million, totaling more than R$650 million in blocks in the investigation.

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The group may be liable for the crimes of criminal organization, usurpation of Union assets, illegal extraction of mineral resources, money laundering, false documents and other related crimes.

Source: CNN