Brazil's Federal Police carried out an operation on Tuesday, August 25, to combat illegal logging on the Rio Mequéns Indigenous Territory, located in the municipality of Parecis, in the northern state of Rondônia, according to Brazilian outlet G1.

During the investigation, agents found and destroyed mobile sawmills, a camp used by illegal loggers, and a motorcycle at the site, police said.

According to the Federal Police, the operation followed an analysis of satellite imagery that allowed investigators to pinpoint the exact locations of logging activity inside the protected indigenous reserve. Satellite monitoring has become a common tool for Brazilian environmental agencies tracking deforestation on protected lands before ground teams move in.

The operation was not carried out by the Federal Police alone. It also involved Rondônia's Environmental Military Police, the National Public Security Force and Ibama, Brazil's federal environmental protection agency, G1 reported.

Indigenous territories in Rondônia have repeatedly been targeted by illegal loggers, an activity linked both to Amazon deforestation and to conflicts with traditional communities. As of this report, the Federal Police had not disclosed whether any arrests were made during the operation or how much timber was found at the site.