Brazilian law enforcement and naval authorities effectively cracked down on organized crime in the eastern Amazon region in November through Operation Unlimited Security.
Brazilian law enforcement and naval authorities effectively cracked down on organized crime in the eastern Amazon region in November through Operation Unlimited Security.
Between November 10 and 16, more than 1,000 federal and state police agents patrolled six municipalities and one archipelago in the region. While police provided additional security on land, 23 ships from the Brazilian Navy patrolled the waters of the Amazon, looking for suspicious vessels. Organized crime groups sometimes use boats and semi-submersibles to transport drugs, guns, ammunition, and other illegal items.
“It is certainly the largest operation ever conducted in the eastern Amazon or anywhere in the Amazon and was not limited to police action,” said Antônio Cláudio Farias from the Special Diagnostics and Monitoring Group (GDM) with the state of Para Secretariat for Public Safety (Segup). “Activities were structured to contain schedules and daily tasks to facilitate the execution, coordination, and control of actions to be carried out.”
Security forces flooded the region to combat a wide array of organized crime enterprises; in addition to trafficking drugs and weapons, criminal groups in the area engage in human trafficking, illegal logging, robbery, and extortion.
Their efforts weren’t limited to patrols. As part of the initiative, officials with the Amazon Protection System’s Operational and Management Center (Censipam) built fixed bases in Afua, Almerim, Belem, and Macapa, to allow managers to monitor operational data in real time. The bases also allowed police authorities and naval officials to communicate via videoconference.
The operation was planned months in advance.
“Under GDM’s coordination, operational planning and strategies were discussed starting in July by the Mid-North Public Safety Council (COMEN), currently chaired by the Amapa Secretary of Justice and Public Safety, Nixon Kennedy Monteiro,” said Farias.
Federal and state police officials and naval authorities held four large planning meetings. The authorities decided to launch the security operation in the municipalities of Almerim, in the Monte Dourado district; Afua and Chaves in Para state; and Laranjal do Jari, Macapa, Vitoria do Jari, and the Bailique Archipelago in Amapa state.
A ‘bold’ operation
The security initiative was so successful that law enforcement officials plan on repeating it and conducting similar operations.
During the initiative, police officers obtained more than 20 arrest warrants, captured 10 people suspected of various offenses, and seized drugs and firearms. In Para, naval patrol forces boarded and inspected 179 boats.
Meanwhile, as part of the operation, social service officials provided assistance to the civilian population by providing 391 medical examinations and dental care to 192 people. Social service workers also distributed more than 13,000 medications and arranged for 469 medical procedures.
“This was a mega-operation and a bold proposal for the states of Para and Amapa to strengthen public safety activities in an area of 50,000 square kilometers,” said Monteiro. “As of now, we can repeat this kind of activity at least once a year, as well as create smaller operations due to interaction between the two states thanks to these activities.”
Brazilian law enforcement and naval authorities effectively cracked down on organized crime in the eastern Amazon region in November through Operation Unlimited Security.
Between November 10 and 16, more than 1,000 federal and state police agents patrolled six municipalities and one archipelago in the region. While police provided additional security on land, 23 ships from the Brazilian Navy patrolled the waters of the Amazon, looking for suspicious vessels. Organized crime groups sometimes use boats and semi-submersibles to transport drugs, guns, ammunition, and other illegal items.
“It is certainly the largest operation ever conducted in the eastern Amazon or anywhere in the Amazon and was not limited to police action,” said Antônio Cláudio Farias from the Special Diagnostics and Monitoring Group (GDM) with the state of Para Secretariat for Public Safety (Segup). “Activities were structured to contain schedules and daily tasks to facilitate the execution, coordination, and control of actions to be carried out.”
Security forces flooded the region to combat a wide array of organized crime enterprises; in addition to trafficking drugs and weapons, criminal groups in the area engage in human trafficking, illegal logging, robbery, and extortion.
Their efforts weren’t limited to patrols. As part of the initiative, officials with the Amazon Protection System’s Operational and Management Center (Censipam) built fixed bases in Afua, Almerim, Belem, and Macapa, to allow managers to monitor operational data in real time. The bases also allowed police authorities and naval officials to communicate via videoconference.
The operation was planned months in advance.
“Under GDM’s coordination, operational planning and strategies were discussed starting in July by the Mid-North Public Safety Council (COMEN), currently chaired by the Amapa Secretary of Justice and Public Safety, Nixon Kennedy Monteiro,” said Farias.
Federal and state police officials and naval authorities held four large planning meetings. The authorities decided to launch the security operation in the municipalities of Almerim, in the Monte Dourado district; Afua and Chaves in Para state; and Laranjal do Jari, Macapa, Vitoria do Jari, and the Bailique Archipelago in Amapa state.
A ‘bold’ operation
The security initiative was so successful that law enforcement officials plan on repeating it and conducting similar operations.
During the initiative, police officers obtained more than 20 arrest warrants, captured 10 people suspected of various offenses, and seized drugs and firearms. In Para, naval patrol forces boarded and inspected 179 boats.
Meanwhile, as part of the operation, social service officials provided assistance to the civilian population by providing 391 medical examinations and dental care to 192 people. Social service workers also distributed more than 13,000 medications and arranged for 469 medical procedures.
“This was a mega-operation and a bold proposal for the states of Para and Amapa to strengthen public safety activities in an area of 50,000 square kilometers,” said Monteiro. “As of now, we can repeat this kind of activity at least once a year, as well as create smaller operations due to interaction between the two states thanks to these activities.”
I am very concerned with the deforestation of the Amazon because it is causing a monumental drought in the southeast, and the hydropower plants are not functioning because of lack of water. I am appealing to you to accept this saving mission on Brazilian territory.