In a landmark multinational operation, security and justice authorities from Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, and Suriname have delivered a devastating blow to illegal gold mining operations throughout the ecologically sensitive Guyana Shield region. Conducted in December 2025, Operation Guyana Shield resulted in the apprehension of nearly 200 suspects and the seizure of substantial quantities of gold, cash, mercury, and mining equipment.
The extensive crackdown involved over 24,500 individual and vehicle inspections across remote border territories. In Guyana alone, three individuals were arrested on suspicion of gold smuggling and money laundering after being found in possession of unprocessed gold and approximately $590,000 in US currency. Investigations suggest these suspects belong to an organized criminal network with potential connections to a prominent Guyanese gold exporter.
INTERPOL Secretary General Valdecy Urquiza highlighted the direct correlation between soaring global gold prices and the proliferation of illegal mining activities. “Illegal gold mining has emerged as one of the fastest-growing revenue streams for organized crime in Latin America,” Urquiza warned. “These operations inflict irreparable damage upon an ecologically vulnerable region while simultaneously undermining the rule of law.”
A significant achievement of the operation was the interception of mercury cylinders valued at over $60,000 in Guyana and Suriname. The highly toxic substance, commonly used in illegal gold processing, was discovered concealed within solar panels and transported via bus. Mirror operations conducted simultaneously along the Oyapock and Marowijne border rivers enabled coordinated inspections on both sides of these waterways.
Authorities additionally confiscated counterfeit medications, alcohol, and cigarettes worth approximately $40,000 from stores supplying miners and suspected of involvement in gold and contraband smuggling. The operation also netted mining apparatus including pumps and gold mats, firearms, communication equipment, and intercepted a bus carrying undocumented migrants—including minors potentially vulnerable to child labor or sexual exploitation.
Supported by the European cooperation program EL PAcCTO 2.0, INTERPOL, and the Dutch Police’s High Impact Environmental Crime team, participating agencies have hailed the operation as a breakthrough in regional collaboration against illegal mining and associated criminal enterprises.