Action by Mapa, Ibama and Civil Police in Goiás rescues stolen and counterfeit pesticides

The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (Mapa), together with the Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama) and the Civil Police of Minas Gerais (PCMG), carried out, from December 4th to 8th, a joint inspection in the state of Goiás focusing on investigations carried out after the robbery of the company Sipcam Nichino, in Uberaba-MG, in July, which resulted in a loss of R$50 million.

The investigations identified the perpetrators of the crime that occurred at the company and pointed out the involvement of traders from the state of Goiás who were involved in distributing the stolen products in the region of the Goiatuba, Caçu, Vicentinópolis and Edealina municipalities in Goiás.

More than four tons of stolen pesticides, six tons of products from ten counterfeit brands and two tons of expired products were recovered from the commercial establishments and rural properties involved.

The products seized by inspection were removed from the site to a secure warehouse in the custody of Mapa. Stolen products will be returned to the victims and counterfeit and expired pesticides will be sent for incineration, as they are unfit for use.

The seized products were valued at R$1,2 million, according to a survey carried out by the inspectorate using sales invoices and price lists found at the location.

During the inspection, different pesticides were also identified from other thefts that occurred in the states of Bahia, Tocantins and São Paulo, according to a survey of incident reports registered in the police system.

According to the head of Mapa's Agricultural Input Inspection Service in Goiás, Márcio Queiroz, stolen expired products are fueling counterfeits. “We have already found expired products in clandestine factories, along with counterfeit pesticides. This alerts inspectors and rural producers not to leave expired products stored on rural properties, as these are an attraction for theft, in addition to being a violation of Federal Law.”

Queiroz also advises producers to properly dispose of expired products. “Pesticides under these conditions must be incinerated as dangerous products, as they are, and must not be used on crops, as, over time, they lose their effectiveness, possibly resulting in a greater incidence of pests and diseases and losses to rural producers. ”, he reinforced.