Greenpeace finds billions in illegal Amazon gold despite Brazil crackdown.
President Lula's efforts to stop wildcat mining have failed to reduce activity.
Last year, police seized a record 447 kg of illegally mined gold.
With gold prices at all-time highs, miners use "ghost permits" to launder gold.
Greenpeace analyzed 187 permits; 98 showed no mining activity.
Those permits justified sales of 26.8 tons of gold worth $3.88 billion from 2018 to 2026.
Kayapo chief Megaron Txucarramae criticizes government inaction.
"Illegal mining destroys land and pollutes rivers," he says.
ANM cites challenges in overseeing the Amazon region.
Greenpeace Brasil's Danicley Aguiar warns that as long as gold laundering is possible, activity will expand.
