A police patrol performs a raid under a bridge on Mucajai river to curb illegal activity surrounding Yanomami territory in Roraima, Brazil, Thursday, September 19, 2024. Dado Galdieri/The Washington Post/Getty Images Rio de Janeiro AP —

Criminal gangs expanded their presence in the Brazilian Amazon last year and are now operating in nearly half of the region’s municipalities, according to a report published Wednesday by a prominent nonprofit organization.

The growth of these crime groups in the region, where UN climate talks are currently taking place, is driving violence and threatens the preservation of the world’s largest tropical rainforest, according to the Brazilian Forum on Public Safety.

Organized crime groups are now active in 344 municipalities out of 772, or some 4

See Full Page