India, April 21 -- New report warns that expanding illicit economies - illegal mining, drug trafficking - have entrenched "criminal governance" across the Amazon.

They have displaced state and Indigenous authorities.

These networks impose regimes of fear, surveillance and dependency, drive deforestation and pollution.

They heighten violence and rights violations against Indigenous peoples.

The expansion of illicit economies across the Amazon have entrenched systems of "criminal governance", according to a report by Amazon Watch. These undermine Indigenous rights, territorial control and environmental stability.

The Amazon covers around 7.8 million square kilometres and is home to more than 2.2 million Indigenous people. However, crim...