PF Operation Targets Illegal Diamond Mining on Indigenous Lands in RO | Rondônia

Gemstones, according to the PF, are illegally mined and subjected to an intermediate evaluation until they are sold in jewelers, mainly in São Paulo and abroad, in countries such as France, Italy and Switzerland.

The scheme, according to research that began in 2018, moves about $ 20 million a month.

The diamonds in the reserve are among the most valuable in the world. Among the objectives of the operation are indigenous leaders, search engines, intermediaries and entrepreneurs.

According to PF’s investigation, these leaders authorized the miners to enter the reserve. Then an intermediary made the bridge with a buyer.

According to the PF, the investigative work began in 2018, with the flagrant arrest of three people in possession of diamonds. They had moved from São Paulo to Rondônia to acquire them. At the time, they admitted that the diamonds were from the Roosevelt Reservation.

During the verification of the scheme, the participation of gold prospectors, indigenous leaders, gold financiers, appraisers, merchants and intermediaries that establish the connection between suppliers and the national and international consumer market was identified.

Among the crimes investigated are criminal organization, usurpation of union property and money laundering.

The Federal Police advisor in Rondônia explains that the term “crassa” refers to the rough state of the diamonds, and at the beginning of the investigations, the “gross” marking was identified along with the contacts related to the miners and intermediaries of the illegal trade. on the agenda of individuals caught on the spot.