Brasília, 7/10/2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - On Wednesday the Federal Police began Operation Drake I, to combat biopiracy and international traffic in wildlife. The operation is taking place in the states of Amazonas, Amapá, Bahia, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Pernambuco, Pará, Rio de Janeiro, Roraima, São Paulo and the Federal District.

The crackdown consists of a series of action plans running from repression to public educational programs to police training. The idea is to combat the traffic in biopiracy and wildlife, a market estimated to be worth some US$1 billion annually, with well-trained police and public awareness.

Brazil is a favorite target of biopirates and wild animal traffickers for the simple reason that it has the world's greatest variety. Material taken from plants and animals, many of them native only to Brazil, is used in foreign laboratories for studies that can lead to patents for medicines and genetic discoveries. The material is now seen as part of Brazilian biodiversity, property that belongs to Brazil.

Another problem is that traffickers smuggle the material out of the country in ways that are harmful to living specimens. (AB)