A análise de redes criminais como instrumento para enfrentamento ao garimpo ilegal: uma aplicação nos estados do Amazonas, Roraima e Rondônia

Abstract

Illegal small-scale mining in the Brazilian Amazon has been reported to cause environmental and social impacts, and to be an activity involving organized crime against the Brazilian state. The organization and structuring of criminal networks and the financial mechanisms supporting illegal mining activities in the Amazon can be analysed using data from Financial Intelligence Reports (RIFs) produced and disseminated by the Brazilian Council for Financial Control (COAF), which report suspicious transactions related to money laundering and other illicit activities. The objective of the research was to analyse COAF RIFs data regarding financial transactions carried out by individuals suspected of engaging in illegal mining, in order to characterize the structure and organization of criminal networks involved in illegal mining in the Brazilian states of Amazonas, Roraima, and Rondônia. Network analysis was used as a methodological approach because it allows the identification of interactions and relationships among actors involved in criminal activities. The theoretical framework is based on network theory, which is used to identify connectivity patterns among members of groups engaged in criminal activities. The methodology involves collecting quantitative and qualitative data from RIFs and structuring and presenting it in the form of graphs using Gephi software, which enables the analysis of the criminal network. The central concepts used in the research include measures of cohesion, centralization, and the positioning of actors in the network, which allow the control of the financial flow linked to illegal gold mining in the Amazon. The results show that the criminal network is concentrated in a few actors who control most of the transactions, suggesting that removing these actors could destabilize the criminal organizations they belong to and increase the state’s capacity to combat illegal mining. The main contribution of the research is the proposal of an analytical model that can be applied in investigations of criminal organizations, aiding in the planning of more effective police interventions.