A satellite terminal from Starlink made by Elon Musk's SpaceX was found by agents of the country's environment agency and the country's highway police in a raid on an illegal mining site in the Amazon region.
What happened on Tuesday: The agents found the terminal in a functional state next to a pit, reported Associated Press.
Other items seized at the site included mercury, gold, and ammunition. The raid took place in an area known as Ouro Mil, which is controlled by Brazil's dreaded First Command of the Capital, according to the report.
Over the last five weeks, Brazil's environment agency, IBAMA, has reportedly seized seven Starlink terminals in the country's largest indigenous territory - Yanomami Land.
On Wednesday, the agency shared a picture of the seized terminal on Twitter.
Why It Matters: IBAMA's operations coordinator Hugo Loss said that Starlink technology is extremely fast and improves the ability to manage an illegal mine. According to the Press, "You can manage hundreds of mining sites without ever setting foot in one."
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In September, Musk said Starlink was connecting schools in the Amazon region. An official from the previous Jair Bolsonaro administration had showcased such a connected classroom at the time.
A plan to bring Starlink to 19,000 unconnected schools in the Amazon region hasn't been done, according to the Press.
According to Brazil's Ministry of Communication, only three terminals were installed in the region s schools for a 12 month trial period, and it hadn't signed any contract with SpaceX, according to the report.
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