For one week, the Brazilian Federal Police ran a course on illicit timber trafficking for environmental police officers from Latin America from the Jaguar Network, including Colombia, Panama and Peru. The initiative was attended by representatives of the Guardia Civil of Spain, the Gendarmerie and customs of France, the United Nations (UNODC), the Netherlands, Paraguay, Portugal, Russia, Europol and Interpol.
The activity, during which operational information was shared, took place at the Centre for Integration and Improvement of the Environmental Police in the heart of the Amazon jungle, to support the development of mechanisms for coordination and information sharing between Latin American and European security forces and bodies in order to launch investigations and organise joint actions and operations in Brazilian and European ports in collaboration with Europol.
During the course, attendees learned techniques and practical aspects of identifying documents, wood and trafficking routes, organisations involved in actions, and the common objectives of work between countries within the framework of the Jaguar Network and EMPACT Envicrime.
Wood shipment inspections
The Brazilian Federal Police finished the course with a wood shipment inspection process, as part of an operation carried out in the port of Manaus, where they were able to put the knowledge imparted during the course into practice. The operation was used to identify possible fraud in cargo by analysing the species, quantity and documentary information.
More than 30 federal police officers, Ibama officers and all the participants of the course on illicit timber trafficking participated in the operation.
The Wood Law Project of the Brazilian Federal Police is supported by EL PAcCTO, and its priority is to effectively combat international timber trafficking.
It was agreed to continue with interdiction actions and the struggle against international traffic of wood from the Amazon region destined for or en route to the European Union. In this regard, Europol will request the support of the institution to organise an operation to inspect and control imported wood in the EU. The action will be a mechanism to reinforce the knowledge acquired and start up joint operations. The Federal Police and the Ibama will also be present.