In February 2023, the Brazilian authorities launched Operation Kukuanaland, to dismantle criminal networks dedicated to illegal gold extraction. 5 search and seizure warrants were served in Goiânia (Goiás) and Santos (São Paulo). The investigation revealed a group of suspects that issued false invoices for the sale of gold that had been illegally extracted on Indigenous lands. The falsified documents had facilitated the sale of the gold to exporters and holding the proceeds in financial institutions. Reports also noted that despite the suspects holding a prospecting permit (PLG) – a legal document that allows the immediate exploitation of mineral deposits without any preliminary mineral research – the declared amount of gold had not been mined at the site designated by the PLG. The network illegally extracted and laundered over 130 million reais (equivalent to $24 million USD), equivalent to 300kg of gold.