Recaptured fugitives return to Mossoró and MJ dismisses director removed from the penitentiary

The two fugitives from the Federal Penitentiary of Mossoró (RN) who were recaptured on Thursday afternoon (4) returned to the prison in the early hours of this Friday (5). They were on the run for 50 days and were detained approximately 1,600 kilometers away in Marabá (PA) when they tried to flee the country, as explained by Minister Ricardo Lewandowski, of Justice and Public Security.

Rogério da Silva Mendonça, 35, and Deibson Cabral Nascimento, 33, were taken back to the maximum security unit during the early hours of the morning and are now in separate cells with constant monitoring. The penitentiary itself had security reinforced and management replaced.

Among the directors replaced, Humberto Gleydson Fontinele Alencar had been removed on the day of his escape and was officially dismissed from his position this Friday (5). According to the ordinance published in the Official Gazette of the Union (DOU), the definitive exemption will be retroactive and will begin to be counted from February 14th.

Rogério and Deibson were arrested after 50 days of escaping in a convoy with four other criminals divided into three vehicles, which Lewandowski called a “crime train”. The duo arrived in Pará after leaving Rio Grande do Norte through Ceará.

The siege took place on BR-222 near a bridge that crosses the Tocantins River. Eight cell phones, a rifle, ammunition, cash, credit cards and other objects were seized from them. Food, water and clothing were also found in the vehicles.

The capture of the two fugitives also occurred six days after the presence of the National Force was demobilized in Rio Grande do Norte to enter a second phase, focusing on intelligence.

Despite the long time between escape and recapture, Lewandowski considered that the deadline “follows international paradigms”.

Lewandowski reported that the arrest of the fugitives was only possible after a “change in police strategy”, which had to expand the search to more than a thousand kilometers away from the prison and started to rely on the intelligence system.

The minister also added that there was difficulty in the search, because the fugitives were “assisted by external criminals and, therefore, had the assistance of their companions from the criminal organizations to which they belonged.”

The minister also denied “any political pressure”, whether from President Lula or members of the government, in relation to the search for the fugitives.

First escape in the system’s history

Fugitives Deibson Nascimento and Rogério Mendonça escaped from the maximum security unit on February 14th. Since then, search operations have focused on the areas between the neighboring cities of Mossoró and Baraúna.

Authorization for the use of the National Force in searches was granted on February 19 by the Minister of Justice and Public Security, Ricardo Lewandowski. A contingent of 100 men and 20 vehicles was moved to Mossoró to assist in the operations.

The search operations mobilized helicopters, drones, sniffer dogs and other advanced technological equipment, in addition to more than 500 agents, including personnel from the National Force and special teams from the Federal Police and the Federal Highway Police.

The inmates’ escape occurred during the early hours of the morning after they opened a hole behind a lamp in the prison and cut two wire fences using tools from a work in progress in the area.

During their escape, the fugitives broke into three homes and took a family hostage. According to investigations by the Federal Police, the Red Command, to which they belonged, may have helped finance the escape, paying R$5,000 to the owner of a farm to help hide the fugitives on his property.

This was the first escape in the history of the federal penitentiary system created in 2006, which includes other units in Brasília (DF), Catanduvas (PR), Campo Grande (MS) and Porto Velho (RO).