Dino’s visit to Maré without drug trafficking would be impossible, police say

The access of the Minister of Justice and Public Security, Flávio Dino (PSB), to the Nova Holanda favela, located in the north zone of Rio de Janeiro, would not have occurred without the permission of the leaders of the Comando Vermelho, the largest criminal faction in the state, which commands the stretch of Complexo da Maré visited by Lula’s minister. The statements are from sources linked to the state’s military and civil police heard by the People’s Gazette.

Without carrying out a police operation, essential for the entry of any authority whose post is related to the fight against organized crime, as is the case of a Minister of State for Public Security, Dino entered the area dominated by the criminal faction last Monday. fair (13) to participate in an event within an NGO.

A video that went viral on the day of the visit showing the arrival of the minister in two official cars accompanied by some men who are not carrying weapons generated a series of criticisms for the ease with which he and his entourage entered Complexo da Maré. The site, made up of 16 favelas, has power shared by the Red Command and the Pure Third Command (TCP), the main factions of the state, which generates a series of violent armed clashes between the groups.

According to the Ministry of Justice and Public Security (MJSP), uncharacterized members of the Federal Police (PF), in addition to members of the Federal Highway Police (PRF), the Military Police and the State Civil Police would have participated in the minister’s security. However, as the report found out, a few security agents were stationed far away, outside the favela, in military, positional and numerical inferiority in relation to the drug traffickers.

“There is no citizen in the world who enters Maré with two big cars, with Insulfilm, without the consent and agreement of the drug trade. So much so that for the PM or any other police force to enter it is only with armored vehicles, with a large operation, with helicopters. And even so, the resistance will be of great proportions”, says Colonel of the Military Police of Rio de Janeiro (PMERJ) Fábio Cajueiro, who is a former commander of operations at Complexo da Maré. “No authority from Brazil or from anywhere else in the world would enter there without the authorization of drug trafficking leaders – be it a judge, prosecutor, judge, minister, president …”, he adds.

In the opinion of a high ranking officer of the Civil Police of the State of Rio de Janeiro (PCERJ), who spoke to the reporter under the condition of secrecy, to stabilize the favela Nova Holanda guaranteeing security to any authority that intended to enter the place without authorization factions, an operation involving 100 to 200 police officers, all armed with rifles, would be necessary – which makes the alleged use of uncharacterized security agents (that is, carrying only pistols) a high-risk conduct, which is not used by any state police force.

As the civil police officer explains, this type of authorization for trafficking normally occurs through NGOs and associations of residents of these communities and is intended for visits by left-wing politicians and even some representatives of public power, such as public defenders. Access to communities, however, is not usually granted to anyone, only to those that drug trafficking leaders do not consider enemies.

“Many of these NGOs and associations invite people from outside to visit the favelas, and these people, incredibly, have no problem with violence within the favela. Now, if anyone from the outside, or a police car or other authority from the State’s repressive apparatus goes there, there will be serious problems”, he says.

The region of Complexo da Maré accumulates several episodes of people being shot when they entered the place by mistake. In October of last year, a well-known case was the entry by mistake, due to the route indication of a GPS application, of five Italians in the same car in one of the slums of Maré. Two of the foreigners were shot, and the tragedy was not greater because the driver managed to flee under bursts of rifles against the vehicle.

Redes da Maré has an active role in action in the STF that calls for restrictions on police operations

As informed by the MJSP, the purpose of Flávio Dino’s visit was to participate in an event to launch the Bulletin “Right to public security in Maré”, prepared by the NGO Redes da Maré. The organization actively participates in the ADPF 635 – the so-called “ADPF das Favelas”, which is being processed by the Federal Supreme Court (STF) – moved by the PSB, Flávio Dino’s own party, which calls for a series of restrictions on police operations within communities – in most of them dominated with an “iron fist” by criminal factions that command drug trafficking.

The day after the event at which the minister was present, activists from the NGO were protagonists in the opening of the launch event of the National Program for Public Security with Citizenship (Pronasci), an initiative of the ministry commanded by Dino. The activists’ speech at the time was full of criticism of security agents, in line with the NGO’s actions in the ADPF 635 records.

Criticism of the police forces was constant throughout the event, including statements by President Lula himself, who was present. What most drew attention at the event, in fact, was the program’s lack of statements or strategies related to confronting organized crime – responsible for a series of violent crimes resulting from drug trafficking, such as homicides and robberies.

In addition to Redes da Maré, a number of other NGOs funded by the Open Society Foundation, owned by leftist billionaire George Soros, are part of the action at the STF in the quest to increase restrictions on police operations in Rio de Janeiro, which is seen by security sources public as a maneuver in the total interest of organized crime. As also reported by the MJSP, on his recent visit to Maré, Flávio Dino also met with members of Soros’ Open Society Foundations.

As shown by People’s Gazette, since the restrictions began in Rio de Janeiro by order of the STF, in March 2020, drug trafficking leaders began to strengthen and expand their positions, mainly through the installation of hundreds of barricades to prevent the advance of vehicles; increase your war arsenals; and receiving traffickers from other states, who now see the Rio de Janeiro hills as safe places to remain unpunished while leading the crime in their home states. The safe condition for crime also increased the frequency of training in guerrilla tactics carried out by traffickers.

“The PSB and the NGOs are fighting a lot to prohibit police operations, prohibit the use of aircraft, etc. When you have a party that goes to the highest body of the judiciary to make requests that interest criminal organizations, obviously, when a representative of that party arrives in the favelas, he will be received with an extended carpet”, says the PCERJ member.

After denunciations, members of the MJSP defend themselves alleging prejudice against the poor population

The episode of the visit to Maré led to a series of requests, coming from parliamentarians from the opposition to the federal government, for the minister to be summoned to explain the details of the visit to the Committee on Public Security and Combating Organized Crime of the Chamber of Deputies.

Deputy Eduardo Bolsonaro (PL-SP) was the first to mention that he would request the minister’s summons. “Flávio Dino, the minister who enters Maré, the most armed favela complex in Rio, with only two cars and without exchanging fire. We are going to summon him to the Public Security Commission to explain the level of involvement he and his boss, Lula, with organized crime in Rio de Janeiro”, said the congressman.

Last week, when reinforcing the request for the opposition to summon the minister to provide clarification, deputy Carlos Jordy (PL-RJ) had also mentioned the possibility of the consent of organized crime.

“How does Flávio Dino manage to enter that complex without security, as if he were going to a bakery, at a friend’s house? Anyone who lives in Rio de Janeiro knows very well that when you go to a favela and you’re not a resident, you’re met with a bullet if you don’t follow their procedures”, said Jordy. “It is the biggest point of sale of drugs in the state of Rio de Janeiro. He has to teach the Rio de Janeiro police”, ironized the deputy.

The minister, on the other hand, sought to weaken the criticism by trying to link them to an alleged prejudice against poor people. “Representatives of the extreme right reiterated their hatred of places where the poorest live. These people without decorum will not prevent me from hearing the voice of those who most need the State”, published Dino on social networks.

Marivaldo Pereira, Secretary of Access to Justice who is also a member of the MJSP, resorted to the same strategy. “The agenda in Maré has been the target of criticism from the extreme right, perpetuating prejudices, stereotypes, contributing to the deprivation of access to public services and rights. They try, once again, to intimidate a democratically elected government and civil society, but they will not succeed,” he declared.

For Colonel Cajueiro, however, the minister is wrong to deny the reality of the wide domain of drug trafficking and treat the matter as if the problem did not exist in these communities. “There are hundreds of armed men from the two main factions that dominate the Complex. It’s a very sad scenario, because the majority of the population there, as in every favela, doesn’t want that. Traffickers take away all your human rights, there they have none. For the resident, all of Article 5 of the Constitution is torn by drug trafficking,” he declares.