AUTHORIZED TO STEAL

The report "Authorized to Steal" by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) investigates how organized crime networks in Peru use official documentation to launder illegally harvested timber from the Amazon. Analyzing 1,024 Forest Transport Permits (GTFs) from 2017, the report details the collusion between forestry regents, public officials, and private businesspeople to bypass regulations, specifically in the Loreto and Ucayali regions.

• A significant portion of timber transported with official permits is high-risk or illegal. Of the Forest Transport Permits (GTFs) backed by Forest Management Plans supervised by OSINFOR, 58% are on the "red list," indicating a high risk of illegality due to irregularities like falsified information or logging in unauthorized areas.
• Illegal logging is heavily concentrated in specific regions and land types. In the analyzed sample, 91% of timber was from Loreto and Ucayali. High-risk 'red list' status was found in 98% of contracts in local forests, 94% on private lands, and 76% in indigenous communities.
• Public officials and forestry regents are identified as key facilitators of timber laundering. The report identifies 13 forestry regents who filed plans where over 40% of declared trees did not exist, and names officials who approved these plans despite the nonexistence of the trees.
• There is a pattern of 'laundering' where timber is moved from high-risk areas to export hubs. 96% of the analyzed GTFs originated in Loreto but were transferred through the Regional Forestry and Wildlife Authorities of Ucayali, suggesting a systemic failure to screen permits before granting transfers.
• Exporters appear to selectively use 'green list' documentation to avoid scrutiny, while domestic markets face higher risks. 68% of supervised GTFs for timber bound for the Port of Callao were on the green list, compared to 62% of supervised Lima-bound timber being on the red list.
• Certain forest species are disproportionately targeted for illegal logging and laundering. The Virola genus (known as "cumalas") is highly prevalent, with four species of this genus accounting for a significant portion of the species declared in GTFs backed by supervised plans.
• Despite a robust legal framework including the Forestry and Wildlife Law No. 29763, enforcement is weak. Administrative and criminal procedures are described as slow, providing little disincentive for officials to facilitate illegal trade.
• The report highlights an 'open secret' of synchronized networks. It identifies cases where the same forestry regent (Hugo Paima Ríos), the same inspector (Carlos Eduardo Shapiama del Castillo), and the same official (Kathia Janeth García Ayachi) processed multiple high-risk plans.

APA

Gómez, R. N. (2019). AUTHORIZED TO STEAL. Center for International Environmental Law. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Authorized-to-Steal-August-2019-updated.pdf

Chicago

Gómez, Rolando Navarro. AUTHORIZED TO STEAL. Center for International Environmental Law, 2019. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Authorized-to-Steal-August-2019-updated.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Gómez |first1=Rolando Navarro |title=AUTHORIZED TO STEAL |publisher=Center for International Environmental Law |date=2019 |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Authorized-to-Steal-August-2019-updated.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{gmez2019authorized, author = {Gómez, Rolando Navarro}, title = {{AUTHORIZED TO STEAL}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2019}, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Authorized-to-Steal-August-2019-updated.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }