DRUG, CRIME AND MILITIA: The state of Rio de Janeiro, with the backing of the Brazilian government, is succumbing to crime
By @tupireport
In an exclusive interview, anthropologist, specialist in public safety and former deputy commander of the Special Police Operations Battalion (Bope), Paulo Storani, points out that public safety in the state of Rio is going through an 'extremely delicate' moment.
An indicator of this statement is the recent invasion of communities in Jacarepaguá historically dominated by old militias, some of them pioneers in the state, in the 1970s.
Rio das Pedras: the first militia of Rio de Janeiro
According to Storani, the community of Rio das Pedras represents the first community control of territories formed by residents. At that time, the criminal group was known as "Polícia Mineira".
“The region of Rio das Pedras, Muzema and Gardênia Azul, in the West zone, was populated by residents from the Northeast region, for the most part. They came to Rio in search of work, related to the fast development, at the time, of Barra da Tijuca and Jacarepaguá. These residents implemented their own rules, not allowing drug trafficking, rape, robbery and other crimes in the region. Colleagues in uniform from the 18th BPM (Jacarepaguá), when I joined the police force, in the 1980s, used to say that they didn't bother with Rio das Pedras. The only job they had was to remove the bodies of thugs killed by that militia,” he recalls.
According to the specialist, the local militia has changed a lot and no longer has the same control power. And Jacarepaguá is today one of the main targets of drug dealers, due to its strategic location to supply drugs to different neighborhoods of the city and the power of local consumers.
“A good part of the drugs today are sold to the residents of the regions. In Rocinha, for example, it is estimated that 60% of sales are to the residents themselves. In Muzema and Rio das Pedras, if traffic really dominates, it won't be much different. The scenario is similar. This local consumption moves a lot of traffic, generates a good income. It is obvious that there, in the case of Gardênia, Muzema and Rio das Pedras, there are still 'stretches' for Barra and Jacarepaguá, regions of great purchasing power. We are talking about a powerful expansion of drug traffickers”.
'Mexicanization' of Rio de Janeiro
The recent invasions of militia areas in Jacarepaguá are a warning, according to Storani, of a process that he defines as the beginning of the “Mexicanization” of Rio de Janeiro, in terms of the famous Mexican drug cartels.
“There (in Mexico), the government no longer governs and many politicians are under the tutelage of drug cartels. There are Mexican regions where the laws are dictated by these criminal groups. If nothing is done, the same process will happen in Rio de Janeiro. In fact, it's already happening, and what happens in Rio has repercussions in other states!”, he warns.
The anthropologist explains that, in Rio, similar to Mexico, the militia and drug trafficking already have representatives in politics.
“Imagine when they control the population in the entire city! The Comando Vermelho is the largest faction in Rio, it is the strongest and has a violent expansion strategy. If nothing is done, we will see people completely dominated by criminal factions. This is the risk we are already taking!”.
The omission of the federal government also demonstrates the will to perpetuate this
Storani made direct criticisms and tried to assimilate that it is the government's will to indirectly allow the advancement of crime in Rio de Janeiro.
“I believe that the moment is delicate in the history of public security in the state of Rio. The federal government assumed a total absence of any measure or public policy proposal to combat drug trafficking. On the contrary, what we can have is a relaxation of laws and regulations, in addition to decriminalizing some criminal activities that do nothing to improve public safety. We need a federal government that agrees with the states and toughens the policy to fight drug traffickers! As we have a new management, the next few years will be decisive for knowing what will happen to the very freedom of the residents of Rio [de Janeiro] and our right to come and go! If there is a worsening of the current situation, it will be very difficult to contain it!”, says Storani.
The Federal Supreme Court (STF) is the centralization of responsibility over favelas in the state.
“Since the decision of the Federal Supreme Court (STF) to restrict police operations in communities and the use of aircraft, an exclusion area was created in Rio de Janeiro that made criminals from various regions of the country come to our country. been in search of protection, seeking asylum in a state where the police find it difficult to operate in communities run by drug traffickers. Some of these (federal court) decisions, in addition to being inappropriate, are illegal. The supreme does not have the competence to act as an executive power!”, he emphasizes.
“The historical and strategic situation of the Comando Vermelho (CV) is violently expansionist. The CV's main strategy is permanent expansion, invading and controlling rival territories. The population has no idea of the power that this faction has! They work shifts, organized, as if they were really a company. We are talking about an organization with high manpower and weapons. It's not something symbolic. This is very serious!”, observes Storani. Comando Vermelho (CVRL) power:
Controlled communities: Today, in 2023, this faction commands 60% of the communities in Rio, that is, 826 controlled communities.
Effective: Between 36 and 40 thousand criminals.
Weapons: Arsenal of 12,000 units, including rifles, pistols and submachine guns. According to Storani, an assault rifle is a highly lethal weapon, with high-speed projectiles capable of hitting the target at a distance of 1.5 km, with enough force to be lethal.
"This is one of the biggest problems we are experiencing in Rio: the presence of weapons of war with great destructive power, causing stray bullets and a lot of lethality!", concludes the public safety specialist.
See more:
The NGO that protected one of the bunkers that helped trafficking in Rio de Janeiro
OPINION: WHO CREATED THE CIVIL WAR IN RIO DE JANEIRO?
How did the Supreme Court (STF) help crime rise in Rio de Janeiro during the pandemic?
NARCO STATE: How drug trafficking and politics form the basis of the Bolivarian revolution
