Agents of the Public Order Department of the City of Rio de Janeiro seized this Wednesday (20) more than 3 tons of wires and copper without origin in inspection of a junkyard installed on Rua Abre Campo, in the neighborhood of Paciência, west side. from Rio de Janeiro. The approximate value of the seized material is R$ 150 thousand.
During the inspection of the establishment and the stored materials, the agents came across a large amount of copper locked in a room with a padlock. When questioning the owner about the stored material, he did not have proof of the material’s origin.
The person responsible was taken to the 36th Police Station for clarification and all the material was seized. The Licensing and Inspection Coordination will open a process to cancel the establishment’s license, since, according to Complementary Law 241 of March 2022, the receipt, storage and sale of copper of unknown origin is prohibited.
Public Order Secretary Brenno Carnevale reported that “the path of stolen wires and copper is irregular and clandestine junkyards. Therefore, since last year Seop has been carrying out these operations. We will not allow the population to suffer from thefts and the city will continue to inspect these junkyards on a daily basis,” he said.
Since the beginning of 2022, the Public Order Secretariat has carried out 42 inspections in junkyards and seized more than 6 tons of wires and copper.
