The Military Police carried out an operation today (8) in the communities that make up the Maré Favela Complex, in Rio de Janeiro, to arrest criminals involved in the theft of trucks that transport cargo and private vehicles, as well as motorcycles.
During the operation, 43 stolen vehicles were seized, including luxury cars and dozens of motorcycles. Agents from the Canine Action Battalion seized more than a ton of drugs in Parque União.
Police work was mainly concentrated in the Nova Holanda Favela.
The police also aimed to serve arrest warrants on people linked to the criminal faction Terceiro Comando Puro (TCP), directly involved in several attempts at territorial expansion and which has been carrying out armed attacks in several locations in Rio and Greater Rio.
The Secretary of the Military Police, Colonel Marcelo Nogueira, said that “the operation in the Maré Complex is the result of a commitment made between the Military Police and the citizens of Rio de Janeiro and the state of Rio de Janeiro. It was a technical operation, based on intelligence information. We will continue to act against all criminal factions that attempt to exercise territorial control. Our mission is to restore a sense of security to the people of Rio de Janeiro,” he said.
Complaints
The military also acted on several streets, checking complaints and carrying out investigations in the Maré favelas. Three men were arrested, including one accused of being a security guard for one of the leaders of the favela complex. Two minors were apprehended.
During the operation, agents from the Expressway Policing Battalion and the Special Patrol and Crowd Control Battalion reinforced patrols at the entrances to the locations. At the end of the operation, 13 roads were cleared, 41 barricades were removed, totaling 15 tons of concrete and steel train tracks, which were placed to make it difficult for security forces’ vehicles to enter.
In June of this year, an operation by the Special Operations Battalion (BOPE), in Maréresulted in the death of two elite troop soldiers and five people linked to drug trafficking. Avenida Brasil, the main connection between the port area and the north and west zones of the city, was also closed as a security measure.
