Military Police joins operation against illegal forest exploitation in Uruará
Operation Curupira has been combating environmental crimes for over two years in the Pará territory, integrating state security system agencies and the Secretary of the Environment.
The Military Police of Pará, through the Environmental Policing Command (CPA), participated this Monday (14) in yet another action under Operation Curupira, coordinated by the State Secretary of Public Security and Social Defense (Segup), in support of the State Secretary of Environment, Climate and Sustainability (Semas). The integrated action also involved the Civil Police and the Military Fire Brigade, with an emphasis on combating environmental crimes, such as illegal exploitation of forest resources, in the municipality of Uruará, in western Pará.
The action was supported by teams from the Environmental Police Battalion (BPA), Events Police Battalion (BPE), 38th BPM, and the Independent Environmental Police Company (Cipamb).
The operation began at 7:30 AM, with teams moving to a side road at KM-40 of the PA-370 highway, heading towards Uruará-Santarém. About 20 km from the main road, the teams found illegal deforestation practices, with extensive areas of devastated forest, storage yards for logs, and trails opened for the removal of large and commercially valuable trees.
Machines - On site, a tracked tractor was found hidden among the vegetation, along with a grease gun, a blower, a toolbox, two car batteries, and 13.48 cubic meters of logs. The equipment was seized; the wood was rendered unusable with chainsaws, and the tractor was destroyed with explosives.
The person responsible for the illegal activity was not located during the inspection. No environmental licenses or identification plates were presented. The inspected area has four overlapping Rural Environmental Registries (CAR), and the data was forwarded to the Civil Police, so that the property owners can be summoned for clarification.
Active action - The commander-general of the Military Police, Colonel Dilson Júnior, emphasized the importance of the PM's work in combating deforestation. “The operation reinforces the commitment of the Government of Pará in confronting environmental crimes and preserving the natural resources of the Amazon, and the PM is ready to act actively, collaborating with other environmental oversight agencies, certain that the protection of the environment depends on the coordinated action of all institutions. Thus, we ensure that the natural wealth of Pará is preserved for present and future generations,” said the PM colonel.
“We have been carrying out actions of Operation Curupira for over two years, integrating the agencies of the state security system and the Secretary of the Environment, operating from three fixed bases in São Félix do Xingu, Uruará, and Novo Progresso, which has helped us achieve good results in preventing and combating environmental crimes and, consequently, reducing deforestation. Last week, during an inspection, we identified a location where the area was being illegally exploited in São Félix do Xingu, and this week the teams acted in an area of Uruará that also showed signs of deforestation. In addition to prevention, identifying locations where crimes are occurring or may occur is essential for us to investigate and identify those responsible, so that we can apply the necessary penalties,” informed the State Secretary of Public Security and Social Defense, Ualame Machado.
Results - The inspections of Operation Curupira resulted in more than 90 arrests in flagrant; 27 bail amounts set; 52 police inquiries initiated; over 180 summons issued; 220 infraction notices; 58 circumstantial occurrence reports (TCOs) and seizures of 679 ammunition, over 200 firearms, and more than 1,100 machinery.
