UAE-led Amazon crackdown nets 839 arrests, seizes $280m in environmental crime operation

Abu Dhabi: A UAE-led international crackdown on environmental crime in the Amazon Basin has resulted in 1,045 field operations, the arrest of 839 suspects and the seizure of assets, equipment and materials worth more than $280 million in just 17 days, marking one of the largest coordinated law enforcement campaigns ever conducted in the region.

The results were announced by Lieutenant General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, who said the operation reflects the UAE leadership's vision of making international cooperation a cornerstone of tackling cross-border challenges.

Sheikh Saif said the operation builds on the UAE's global environmental protection efforts through the International Initiative of Law Enforcement for Climate (I2LEC), launched in partnership with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in 2023 to strengthen international law enforcement cooperation against environmental crime.

Responding to growing international demand for closer coordination among law enforcement agencies, the UAE led Operation Green Shield 2026, launched in July in cooperation with Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Brazil, targeting environmental crimes across the Amazon Basin.

Over the course of the 17-day operation, authorities conducted 1,045 field operations, detained 839 suspects, and confiscated assets linked to environmental offences valued at more than $280 million. The seizures included equipment, materials and other assets connected to illicit activities affecting the Amazon's ecosystem.

Sheikh Saif said the outcome demonstrates the UAE's ability to transform international partnerships into high-impact operational results, while contributing to a more effective global framework for combating transnational environmental crime and protecting natural ecosystems through coordinated law enforcement action.