The mining gangs cause significant damage by using powerful pumps on ships to dredge material from the river bed and blast the river banks, as well as using highly-toxic mercury to separate gold from the river silt.
Police said the operation was aimed at stemming illegal mining by arresting the financiers — including pilots, engineers and businessmen — and confiscating the aircraft used for the incursions into indigenous lands.
Around 20,000 Yanomami live in relative isolation in the remote indigenous reserve, which covers nearly 100,000 square km of rainforest along the Venezuelan border.
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