The Cotia Municipal Civil Guard (GCM) Environmental unit arrested three men in flagrante suspected of illegal deforestation in an area of approximately 6,000 square meters in Jardim Aguassaí, on Sunday (18).
The action took place after complaints from residents and environmental monitoring work. The private plot, located on Rua Antônio Vaz Pires, is in a region preliminarily identified by forensic experts as a Permanent Preservation Area (APP), within the Atlantic Forest biome.
The area was already being monitored by the Environmental Guard. Information obtained through the Brasil Mais program, which uses satellite images to identify changes in vegetation cover, also indicated signs of possible deforestation in the region.
Based on the information and the complaints received, the agents went to the address and caught the tree-cutting activity in progress. At the site, they found men using a chainsaw, a tractor and other equipment to remove the vegetation.
The three individuals involved were taken to the Cotia Police Station, where the incident was registered as an environmental crime, based on articles 38 and 38-A of Federal Law No. 9,605/1998, which deals with crimes against the environment.
During the operation, a truck, a car, a tractor and a chainsaw were seized. The Civil Police also requested a technical forensic examination to assess the environmental damage.
According to the chief delegate of Cotia, Mônica Gamboa, the case did not allow for bail to be set at the police station. The three men attended a custody hearing and were granted release by judicial decision, with a release order issued. They will face the proceedings at liberty.
The incident reinforces the importance of complaints from the public and the use of monitoring technologies to identify and combat environmental crimes, especially in areas of native vegetation.
The case remains under the responsibility of the Civil Police.
Understanding the Law
Federal Law No. 9,605/1998, known as the Environmental Crimes Law, establishes penalties for those who destroy or damage protected vegetation.
Article 38: prohibits destroying or damaging forests considered permanent preservation areas, even if they are in formation.
Article 38-A: protects the native vegetation of the Atlantic Forest, including that in medium or advanced stages of regeneration.
What is the punishment? Both articles provide for a penalty of one to three years' detention, a fine, or both penalties.
What if the land is private? Environmental legislation also applies to private properties. Owning the land does not authorize deforestation of protected areas.
Reports of environmental crimes can be made to the Cotia Civil Guard: 153 or to the Communication Center by calling (11) 4616-2835 or via WhatsApp (11) 97545-7456
Contact Phone: (11) 4616-0466 Hours: Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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