The criminal organization has been operating for decades in the exploration of diamonds in the indigenous land of Rondônia, says PF | Rondônia

In an interview at the Pimenta Bueno (RO) police station, a city near Espigão D’Oeste, Police Chief Márcio Lopes explained that the investigation of the case began about two years ago.

“The operation [de hoje] aims to dismantle the criminal organization that has been operating for decades in the exploration of diamonds on the Roosevelt reservation. The investigation indicates that this organization acts in groups that each have their crucial role for the proper performance of criminal activity, ”says the delegate.

The delegate reveals that, within the scheme, there is the participation of indigenous leaders, prospectors (who work directly in the indigenous reserve), mining financiers and people who invest large amounts in the acquisition of machinery to explore the indigenous reserve on a daily basis. .

“There is also the figure of the intermediaries who establish the connection between the suppliers here in Rondônia with the national and international consumer market,” he says.

The PF is executing 53 search and seizure warrants this Thursday, in addition to blocks of property, buildings and furniture, as determined by the Federal Court, of the Porto Velho judicial section.

“It is important to mention that the role of indigenous leaders, in this role of the criminal organization, is to authorize gold prospectors and miners to explore the reserve area. It is not possible for the prospectors to enter the reserve without the permission of the indigenous leaders, who are paid either in cash or with diamond stones ”, says Márcio Lopes.

In total, 53 search and seizure orders are carried out in the interior of Rondônia and in São Paulo, Roraima, Paraná, Piauí, Mato Grosso, Minas Gerais and the Federal District, through the Crassa operation.

The diamonds, according to an investigation, were illegally removed and are evaluated by the intermediary until they are sold in jewelers, mainly in São Paulo and abroad, in countries such as France, Italy and Switzerland.

The diamonds in the reserve are among those considered the most valuable in the world. According to a PF investigation, the criminal scheme moves around $ 20 million a month.

Record Disclosure Scheme

Conversations between garimpeiros, obtained by G1, reveal how diamond exploration worked on the Roosevelt Indian Reservation. In a conversation, two prospectors talk about selling stones for $ 5 million in Switzerland.

• SEE THE NEGOTIATION DIALOGUE

In one of the calls, a gold prospector talks about an Italian who would buy the diamonds and then resell them in European countries.

The Roosevelt Reserve, from where the criminals extracted diamonds, covers an area of ​​231,000 hectares and is located between the border between Rondônia and Mato Grosso. There are two indigenous peoples in the area, including Cinta Larga.

The Roosevelt reservation is considered a conflict region. In December 2015, two loggers were killed within the reserve while practicing illegal diamond mining. The indigenous man suspected of having committed the crime was arrested.

See more Nature and Environment videos