United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

Belém, Brazil, 25 April 2023 - The suburbs of Belém in Pará, considered the gateway to the Brazilian Amazon region, have evidence of the prevalence of organised crime groups converging to commit serious crimes such as deforestation, illegal mining, trafficking of cocaine, gold, cannabis, wildlife, timber, and firearms.

On 25 March 2023, the Federal Police (PF), in close coordination with UNODC Brazil, supported the riverine field visit of the Norwegian Minister of Environment, Espen Barth Eide, in Belém and nearby regions. The visit was also attended by the Director of the Norwegian International Climate and Forest Initiative (NICFI), the Norwegian Ambassador in Brazil, Odd Magne Ruud and the Programme Officer of the Wildlife Trafficking Section of the United States Department of State's Bureau of Narcotics and Law Enforcement (INL).

During a two-hour trip on three maritime surveillance vessels through Marajó Bay, Federal Police officers from the Environmental Crimes Division and the Maritime Police Division reported to the delegation on the different challenges faced by the surveillance in the region.  Upon arriving at the Port of Vila do Conde, an attractive point for the trafficking of illicit goods, the Federal Police made a presentation highlighting its recent successful operations, as well as the priorities for the coming years.

Challenges were also discussed, such as the difficulty of accessing remote areas in the state of Pará, as some of these locations can only be accessed by helicopter or boat. In closing the visit, Minister Eide praised the dedication of the Federal Police and reiterated the importance of the strong bilateral relationship between Norway and Brazil, which aims to reduce deforestation and environmental crimes in the Brazilian Amazon.

Since 2017, the Norwegian government, through NICFI, has supported the UNODC Law Enforcement Assistance Programme for Reducing Tropical Deforestation (LEAP), which is implemented in cooperation with INTERPOL in eight countries in Latin America and Southeast Asia, including Brazil. During a LEAP technical workshop held in the Port of Belém in August 2022, agents of the Brazilian government security forces seized about 130 cubic meters of illegal timber.

Learn more about the UNODC Law Enforcement Assistance Programme to Reduce Tropical Deforestation (LEAP)