science
Brazilian Mining Agency Maintains Permits in Amazon Despite Gold Laundering Indicators
An investigation by InfoAmazonia found that nearly half of 540 mining permits in the Tapajós River basin in Pará state declared gold production between 2022 and 2026 without evidence of corresponding extraction. The permits, known as PLGs, were originally created in 1989 for small-scale operations but now cover industrial-scale mining that uses mercury.
May 14, 6:00 AM·3m read1 source
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An investigation by InfoAmazonia found patterns of illegal gold laundering in the Tapajós River basin in Pará state. The report examined data from Brazil’s National Mining Agency, or ANM, and identified irregularities in mining permits known as Garimpeiro Mining Permits, or PLGs.
The contamination stems from mercury used in gold mining that enters the rivers and food chain, according to the research. Aleckson, who was born with cerebral palsy, requires continuous care and consumes fish from the Tapajós River like others in the Munduruku communities.
The PLGs were created in 1989 to regulate mining during the Tapajós gold rush. They were intended for small-scale, low-impact operations. Decades later, the permits are used for industrial-scale extraction involving heavy equipment, dredges and mercury, the investigation reported.
Oversight agencies have warned the ANM about irregular use of PLGs for more than a decade. In 2022, the Comptroller General of the Union uncovered illegalities in an audit. The following year, Operation Sisaque by Brazil’s Federal Police, Federal Revenue Service and Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office exposed a large gold-laundering scheme relying on PLGs in Tapajós.
In 2025, the Federal Court of Accounts identified structural flaws that enable gold of illegal origin to be legalized. Between 2022 and 2026, of the 540 PLGs that declared gold sales in the Tapajós River basin, nearly half, or 263, showed no evidence of extraction consistent with the reported volumes.
This suggests the permits may be used to launder gold extracted illegally elsewhere. Roughly 70 percent of the mining activity in the region lies within 10 kilometers of the PLGs that declared gold production. Nearly 60 percent of the gold from legalized mining in Brazil has passed through a Tapajós PLG over the past four years.
