• by IPS Correspondents (rio de janeiro)
• Tuesday, November 22, 1994
• Inter Press Service

RIO DE JANEIRO, Nov 22 (IPS) - Called out to stamp on drug trafficking and violence in Brazil's second largest city, the armed forces have not yet rooted out any of the area's important drug bosses.

The army-led joint military-police operation being carried out in Rio de Janeiro got underway early this month according to an agreement signed between the federal administration and Rio de Janeiro state government.

The decision responded to an escalation of violence that had reached record highs. Estimates indicate that of every 100,000 inhabitants of Rio de Janeiro, 70 will have been murdered in 1994.

The violence that has taken hold of what is considered Brazil's most beautiful city is largely attributed to the ease with which traffickers supply the city's 'favelas' (shanty-towns) with cocaine and marijuana.

Army General Jugurta Camara Sena, who heads the joint operation, has pinpointed Rio's biggest drug bosses as the main target of military activities.

"Containing the drug suppliers will put us halfway down the road toward combatting the violence," said Colonel Ivan Cardozo, spokesman for the operation.

However, thus far the armed forces have only gone after the small dealers who operate in the poor hill neighbourhoods that ring Rio de Janeiro. Since Nov. 18, five shanty-towns have been surrounded by military troops.

Hundreds of people have been detained and three wounded, but no big fish was captured nor were significant amounts of drugs and arms seized.

"Our action won't be cinematographic. The fight against organised crime and drug trafficking will follow a plan. We are not in a hurry. Our objective is to clean up the shanty-towns so the provincial government can take its proper place in these communities," Cardozo said.

But Brazilians want to see concrete results, and several analysts have warned that the image of the armed forces has begun to suffer.

Rio de Janeiro state Governor Nilo Batista has said the military has gotten itself into a fix.

"As the days go by they (the armed forces) will finally realise that the issue is complex and cannot be resolved with just words," said Batista, who has been criticised for inadequately dealing with the violence and drug trafficking in the state.

Meanwhile, investigations by the armed forces have discovered that police and members of Rio de Janeiro's "high society" supply shanty-town dealers with cocaine and marijuana. Lawyers and members of the business and financial communities have also been found to be involved in the drug trade.

Before putting its tanks and soldiers on the streets, the army demanded that a purge be carried out within the ranks of the Civilian Police, and in the first week of the operation 96 police commissioners were removed from their posts on corruption charges.

The armed forces are seeking to strangle the leaders of the drug rings by going after the small dealers in the shanty-towns and blocking users from frequenting the places where they usually buy drugs.

According to Cardozo, if an economic squeeze is put on the drug gangs, the big suppliers will eventually turn away.

© Inter Press Service (2014) — All Rights Reserved. Original source: Inter Press Service

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