Musk Brought Internet to Brazil's Amazon. Criminals Love It.
The president of Brazil has been cracking down on illegal mining
By Fabiano Maisonnave • Published 3 hours ago • Updated 3 hours ago
In this image provided by IBAMA, Brazil’s Environmental Agency, federal agents destroy an illegal mining barge inside Yanomami Indigenous territory, Roraima state, Brazil, Tuesday, March 14, 2023.
Brazilian federal agents aboard three helicopters descended on an illegal mining site on Tuesday in the Amazon rainforest. They were met with gunfire, and the shooters escaped, leaving behind an increasingly familiar find for authorities: Starlink internet units.
Starlink, a division of Elon Musk’s SpaceX, has almost 4,000 low-orbit satellites across the skies, connecting people in remote corners of the Amazon and providing a crucial advantage to Ukrainian forces on the battlefield. The lightweight, high-speed internet system has also proved a new and valuable tool for Brazil’s illegal miners, with reliable service for coordinating logistics, receiving advance warning of law enforcement raids and making payments without flying back to the city.
Agents from the Brazilian environment agency’s special inspection group and the federal highway police rapid response group on Tuesday found one Starlink terminal up and running next to a pit, an officer who participated in the raid told The Associated Press. He spoke on condition of anonymity over concerns for his personal safety.
They also seized mercury, gold and ammunition, and destroyed fuel and other equipment used by miners in an area known as Ouro Mil, controlled by Brazil´s most feared criminal organization, known as the First Command of the Capital, according to federal investigations.
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https://www.necn.com/news/national-international/musk-brought-internet-to-brazils-amazon-criminals-love-it/2947073/
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