Across Latin America, Interpol probe links 161 firms to Amazon clearing, arrests 233

Interpol says a two-month enforcement sweep across Latin America and the Caribbean led to 233 arrests and tied “Amazon destruction” to 161 firms operating on multiple continents. Operation Madre Tierra VIII ran June 1 to July 31 across Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua and Panama. Investigators documented more than 330 cases, identified 312 suspected participants in environmental crimes, and recorded about 60,000 hectares (148,000 acres) of illegally cleared forest. In Colombia, authorities arrested 16 people and seized digital evidence; the case previously connected over 52,000 hectares of protected forest to 11 foreign companies. Interpol also recovered 1,000+ live animals and seized roughly 165 kilograms of dried shark fins valued around $280,000.