According to the Federal Police of Brazil, several shipments of imported wood, containing more than 80 cubic meters, were seized at the Port of Savannah in Georgia.

During the inspection, Brazilian and American authorities extracted samples of wood that could be used in forensic analysis.

According to the Federal Public Ministry (MPF), the species of wood samples collected include Ipe and Jatoba.

These samples will be compared to a database of wood samples collected in the Brazilian forest where the shipments allegedly originated.

The purpose is to determine whether the wood in the shipments truly originated from the declared point of the harvest. Brazil will use stable isotope analysis to compare the wood samples.

See: 5 ways illegal logs enter wood product supply chains

Following the inspection, a delegation of Brazilian authorities met with US officials from January 6 to 8, 2021, in Savannah. The US officials included agents from the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Customs and Border Protection, and Homeland Security Investigations. The delegation from Brazil included the Federal Police, the Federal Revenue Service and the Federal Public Ministry.

Data from companies identified in Operation Handroanthus – in which 130,000 cubic meters of alleged illegal logs were seized – was also shared with the US authorities. The seizure, equivalent to more than 6,000 truckloads was the biggest in Brazil’s history.

See: Overestimation of Ipe stand density and volume in Pará, Brazil

The cooperation between the Brazilian and the US authorities for the monitoring of the wood trade between the two countries has been growing since Operation Archimedes. Brazil hopes that this cooperation will help identify shipments of illegal wood that have entered the US for return to Brazil.

See: Operation ‘Akuanduba’ investigates links between Brazilian officials and suspected illegal wood trade with U.S.

This is a developing story.

Last updated January 15, 2021 9:49am EST

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