Director of Brazilian Mining Agency arrested in $300M corruption probe

[Ben Graham]

The Director of Brazil’s National Mining Agency (Agência Nacional de Mineração), Caio Seabra Filho, was arrested on Wednesday as part of a wide-ranging federal operation targeting corruption, environmental crimes, and illegal mining activity in the mineral-rich state of Minas Gerais.

Launched by the Federal Police in partnership with the Federal Prosecution Service, the Comptroller General’s Office (CGU), and Brazil’s Internal Revenue Service, the investigation revealed a complex criminal network accused of fraudulently securing environmental and mining licenses.

These licenses enabled illegal iron ore extraction in areas protected under federal environmental and cultural heritage laws. Among the lands granted unlawfully were sections of highly sensitive areas, including parts of the Serra do Curral, the Cercadinho Ecological Station, and the Serra do Rola Moça State Park.

According to the Federal Police, the primary target of the investigation is a conglomerate of more than 40 companies, led by a holding called Minerar S.A., which is active in iron ore extraction across several environmentally sensitive regions of Minas Gerais.

Authorities allege that public officials and private actors worked in tandem to bypass regulatory processes and greenlight high-value mining projects without proper oversight or legal compliance.

In total, law enforcement carried out 79 search and seizure warrants and issued 22 preventive arrest orders. Over 1.5 billion reais (approximately $300 million) in assets were frozen or seized, and operations of companies directly linked to the scheme were suspended.

Investigators also flagged several active projects tied to the network that could exceed 18 billion reais ($3.6 billion) in economic value.

Seabra, a lawyer specialized in mining and environmental law, was appointed to the agency’s board in late 2023. He previously held influential roles within the ANM, including director of area availability and superintendent of mineral resources.

In addition to the arrest of ANM director, the operation also led to the detention of Rodrigo de Melo Teixeira, former director of administrative police at Brazil’s Federal Police and currently assigned to the Brazilian Geological Survey. Investigators suspect that he held a hidden ownership stake in a mining company, in a direct conflict of interest.

Over the past decade, Minas Gerais — one of Brazil’s top mining jurisdictions — has faced sustained scrutiny following the Mariana (2015) and Brumadinho (2019) tailings dam disasters.