BRAZIL-DRUGS: Military Intervention of Rio Remains Only a Threat
RIO DE JANEIRO, Nov 10 (IPS) - The war on drug trafficking gangs threatened by Brazilian federal authorities in late October has thus far produced only declarations, meetings, and symbolic acts with theatrical effects.
On Monday, two drug traffickers from the 'Parada' "favela" (shanty-town) called the press and government authorities to announce their withdrawal from drug-dealing, adding that they would turn over their arms "to avoid a blood-bath in the community."
Rio de Janeiro state governor Nilo Batista visited Parada by helicopter, where in front of the Neighbourhood Association the two men had left 14 firearms and ammunition, while in a nearby alley four more guns were found.
In a letter handed over by association president Santuza Constantino, the two traffickers Adao and Gege said they would leave the state because "we don't make war against the police, let alone the armed forces."
Batista said the gesture had "symbolic value" and seemed disappointed by the arms, which according to police were a few old, rusty guns.
The surprising move has not yet been satisfactorily explained. A police source, speaking to the daily 'Jornal do Brasil', called it a farce and claimed the supposed "traffickers" did not even exist.
The source said the act was part of an attempt by the shanty- town's well-known drug boss 'Robertinho de Lucas' to pretend to freeze all trafficking activities in order to divert attention and hide "until the storm blows over."
On Tuesday, business as usual had been suspended in the area's drug-dealing hotspots, nor were the usual armed traffickers to be seen. However, cocaine could be bought as always - albeit slightly more expensive - in side-streets, and several neighbours said the traffickers were still around.
A police officer who preferred to remain anonymous told IPS that the act was rigged by sectors of the police that are involved in drug-dealing, who tried to give the impression that the threat of military intervention alone had been enough to intimidate the gangs.
According to this version, police have attempted to create a climate which would make military intervention unnecessary, as one of the stated goals of army participation is the "cleaning up" of corrupt sectors of the police.
On Wednesday, a group of traffickers from the 'Acari' shanty- town turned in 28 firearms in a similar move, accompanied by a letter announcing the withdrawal of traffickers from the favela in order to "avoid the deaths of innocent people."
Once more the guns were old and rusty, having long fallen into disuse, police said. This time the governor did not participate in the ceremony.
Eastern Military Command spokesman Colonel Luiz Cesario called the supposed "surrender" ridiculous and "irrelevant. Are there really still people who believe in Santa Claus?"
Other gangs have adopted completely different tactics. On Tuesday, traffickers opened gunfire on the Caxias Legal Medical Institute on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro - which carries out autopsies for the police - forcing forensic experts to suspend their work.
The move was planned by Flavio Pires Goncalves, 'Negao', well- known drug boss of the 'Vigario Geral' shanty-town where 23 inhabitants were massacred by the police in August 1993.
Meanwhile, military chiefs have been holding endless tete-a- tetes in the Eastern Military Command headquarters and in the Sao Joao Fort, where the head of the joint police-military anti-drug operation, General Roberto Camara Senna, has set up house.
Among the stated reasons for the army's delay are budget problems, the need to tie-down government commitments to effective community action once the favelas have been "liberated" from the control of drug gangs, and the safety of military residents of the shanty-towns.
It is feared that some 4,000 soldiers who live in the favelas could become victims of reprisals if violent clashes with traffickers take place.
Meanwhile, military helicopters have been seen overflying several shanty-towns which have particularly high levels of drug activity, apparently taking last minute aerial photos.
Military authorities have been keeping a tight-lipped silence, but have let out that the initial action - which is to cover a broad cross-section of shanty-towns currently under the control of drug traffickers - is to serve as an "example".
For the time being, innocent victims continue to pay with their lives. On Tuesday Elza Carvalho de Andrade was killed by a stray bullet from a shoot-out between police and traffickers while travelling in a city bus in an outlying Rio de Janeiro neighbourhood.
The woman was victim number 50 this year of such "accidents", more appropriate to war-torn Bosnia than to Brazil's most beautiful city.
© Inter Press Service (2014) — All Rights Reserved. Original source: Inter Press Service