Photo: screengrab from the official website of Brasil 247

By Brasil 247 - The Brazilian government inaugurated on Tuesday (Sept. 9) the International Police Cooperation Center (CCPI) of the Federal Police (PF) in Manaus, Amazonas. The facility was financed with 36.7 million reais (around US$ 6.6 million) from the Amazon Fund, a financing mechanism managed by Brazil's national development bank (BNDES) to support projects for forest preservation and sustainable development.

The new hub is designed to be a strategic nucleus of intelligence and international cooperation to combat environmental crimes in the Amazon. According to the Federal Police, the CCPI will integrate the work of the PF, the Federal Highway Police, the National Security Force, state police forces from the nine Amazonian states, and law enforcement agencies from across the Pan-Amazon region.

The goal is to strengthen state capacity to prevent and dismantle illegal activities such as gold mining, logging, wildlife trafficking and money laundering. Authorities say the center will prioritize dismantling the financial structures of criminal networks and mapping the illegal supply chains that fuel deforestation and environmental degradation.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva attended the inauguration alongside Justice Minister Ricardo Lewandowski, Environment Minister Marina Silva, BNDES president Aloizio Mercadante and Federal Police director-general Andrei Rodrigues.

Mercadante emphasized that the project combines sovereignty, development and environmental protection: "The Amazon Fund once again proves its strength as a tool for transformation. While reinforcing national sovereignty with the new Federal Police center, it also guarantees development. President Lula's government is showing that it is possible to protect the forest, generate income and provide security for our people," he said.

Environment Minister Marina Silva stressed that the CCPI will be decisive in tackling the overlap between organized crime and environmental offenses: "The International Police Cooperation Center will be key to addressing the links between transnational criminal groups and environmental crimes, which are increasingly widespread across the forest and threaten the livelihoods of Indigenous peoples and traditional communities," she said.

The CCPI is part of the Amazon Plan: Security and Sovereignty (AMAS), a program funded with 318.5 million reais (around US$ 57 million) from the Amazon Fund. Beyond the new headquarters, resources are being used to lease helicopters, armored patrol boats, vehicles and drones, reinforcing the security and intelligence capacity of law enforcement agencies in the region.

Federal Police chief Andrei Rodrigues said the project marks a new phase in integrated Amazon security: "The CCPI reaffirms the Federal Police's commitment to three fundamental pillars: integration, the fight against organized crime and environmental protection. For the first time in history, we have a dedicated security system for the Amazon, structured with modern facilities, advanced technology and — above all — professionals from different agencies and countries working side by side on a common mission," he stated.

(Reported by Brasil 247 on September 9, 2025)