Latin America — EIA
Illegal logging in the Russian Far East is of particular concern because the forests are home to the last 450 wild Siberian tigers. The Lumber Liquidators case was investigated jointly by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and Homeland Security Investigations and prosecuted by the Department of Justice under the name “Operation Oakenshield.”

Latin America

The Amazon rainforest is the world’s largest terrestrial carbon sink and is facing enormous threats from illegal logging, aggressive expansion for industrial agriculture, cattle ranching, mining and infrastructure. At the same time, Latin America is one of the most dangerous places for environmental and human rights defenders who stand in the way of powerful political and financial interests and are frequently being threatened, harassed and even murdered for defending their livelihoods.

Related Resources

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Press Release

Goldman Prize for Colombian Activist as New Evidence Shows Oil Pollution She Risked Her Life to Expose Continues Unabated

Yuvelis Morales, a community organizer from the heart of Colombia's oil lands, has been awarded the 2026 Goldman Environmental Prize for her years of work exposing pollution linked to Ecopetrol, Colombia’s state-owned oil company. Communities in the Middle Magdalena region have been raising the alarm about pollution linked to Colombia's oil industry for years. A new round of monitoring in 2026 confirms that little has changed.

An abandoned boat floats on a polluted yellow pool, surrounded by piles of rubble
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Toxic Tons: The Largest Flow of Illegal Mercury to the Amazon Exposed

Acting on EIA’s intelligence, Peruvian customs authorities stopped approximately 4 tons of Mexican mercury in June 2025, the largest seizure ever reported by an Amazonian country. This groundbreaking case sheds new light on the enforcement gaps and loopholes of the Minamata Convention on Mercury, raising urgent questions about its effectiveness to face the often highly covert and organized criminal groups that control mercury and gold trafficking.  

Report

Traficantes No Dejan Piedra Sin Levantar

La última investigación de EIA revela la mayor operación de contrabando de mercurio jamás documentada. El informe expone cómo las minas de mercurio en México, algunas presuntamente controladas por el crimen organizado, están impulsando una cadena de suministro mortal que vincula la minería de oro, la devastación ambiental y las violaciones de derechos humanos.

Report

Traffickers Leave No Stone Unturned

EIA’s groundbreaking investigation reveals the largest mercury smuggling operation ever documented. The report exposes how Mexican mercury mines, some allegedly taken over by organized crime, are driving a deadly supply chain that links gold mining, environmental devastation, and human rights abuses.