ClimatePolitics

Organized crime is growing along highway in a pristine section of the Amazon: Study

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Based on a feed excerpt; full article content has not been acquired. Source evidence retrieved 26/10/2026, 21:39:24 UTC.

Briefings

A new study indicates that organized crime groups controlling illegal logging, gold mining, and cattle ranching dominate large sections of the BR-319 highway in Brazil's Amazon. Research by Sao Paulo University researcher Lucas Ferrante found that the highway's disrepair since 1998, following President Dilma Rousseff's 2015 authorization, created fertile ground for criminal networks. The study highlights that drug trafficking and environmental crimes share routes, while cattle ranching serves as a money laundering channel. The BR-319 connects Manaus and Porto Velho, with its 339-kilometer middle section often impassable during the rainy season.

Key points

• Criminal organizations controlling illegal logging, gold mining, and cattle ranching dominate large sections of the BR-319 highway in Brazil's Amazon.
• Research by Sao Paulo University researcher Lucas Ferrante found that the highway's disrepair since 1998 created fertile ground for criminal networks.

Context

The BR-319 highway connects Manaus and Porto Velho in Brazil's northern Amazon, with its 339-kilometer middle section often impassable during the rainy season. The highway was built during Brazil's military dictatorship in the 1970s and fell into disrepair after President Dilma Rousseff authorized maintenance work in 2015, a decision later abandoned by President Jair Bolsonaro.

Limitations

The study measures deforestation increases after 2015 but does not provide specific data on current crime rates, number of criminal groups, or exact financial flows. The research relies on a single lead author's assessment and video call testimony, limiting independent verification of the findings.

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