Series shows that, in addition to Bolsonaro’s jewelry, federal agents have already barred everything – 03/10/2023 – Market

“If we think about age and country of origin, maybe this is a profile that doesn’t match, but the point is to listen to the stories. When the passenger is doing something wrong, the story never closes”, says Mario de Marco Rodrigues, delegate of the Federal Revenue Service, in a scene from the series “Airport: Restricted Area”.

In the episode, he was referring to an elderly man of Swedish origin who arrived in Guarulhos from Ecuador. After telling that he was going to meet his Asian girlfriend, who had just lost her father, he had his suitcase searched by the agents – in the false bottom of the luggage there was cocaine.

De Marco’s name has gained traction on social media in recent days, following the revelation that the government of Jair Bolsonaro (PL) tried to illegally enter Brazil with jewelry brought from Saudi Arabia.

According to a report by UOL, he refused a request made by the former Revenue Secretary, Julio Cesar Vieira Gomes, to release the items. The apprehension of the Saudi jewelry was revealed by the newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo, and the existence of a second set of pieces, for men, was revealed by the Sheet.

But jewelry and objects that make up the national heritage are not the most exotic items that end up in inspections, as the four-season series shows.

“Airport: Restricted Area” shows that the suitcases of friendly passengers can hide gorilla paws, the head of a crocodile, kilos of marijuana or locks of human hair.

The cameras monitor the routine operations of professionals from bodies with different attributions: Federal Revenue Service, Anvisa (National Health Surveillance Agency), Vigiagro (International Agricultural Surveillance) and Ibama (Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources).

In addition to Guarulhos, the Brazilian edition has also shown other busy terminals, such as Galeão (Rio de Janeiro) and Confins (Greater Belo Horizonte). The fourth season, which premiered in January on discovery+, shows the challenges of enforcement amid the Covid-19 pandemic. TV Record also aired seasons.

At airport control, professionals study the history of travelers and define some targets so that the inspection work is concentrated on certain passengers.

Last-minute reservations, recently issued passports, short trips or trips with many connections are some of the features that put passengers on the radar.

The selection also takes into account the behavior of the passenger on the first approach. At these times, even registering to receive programs, such as Emergency Aid, serves to reinforce a suspicion.

“Everything indicates that you took something out, you will be on our alert and if you travel again, we will find you at the boarding gate”, says one of the Federal Revenue agents when searching the suitcase of a woman coming from Madrid .

“It’s the typical ‘mule’ profile [pessoa que transporta drogas], the criminal organization lures people like her, who is still a victim. When you don’t have the drug at the moment and you don’t have a fragrance, we advise you not to do more, they say that one hour it will be discovered “, she explains.

On outgoing flights, they focus on finding signs of drug trafficking and the transport of rare woods or wild animals — in one of the episodes, a businessman manufacturing musical instruments is found with brazilwood sticks, used in bows for instruments string.

Passengers from the United Arab Emirates, Andean countries and Portugal demand greater attention from Vigiagro professionals. In the case of food, the rule is that travelers can only bring items that are for their own consumption and that are processed, labeled and with health certification, explains the agent to a Brazilian woman from Portugal, who sees her unlabeled cheese being discarded.

The flight to the Middle East, one of the longest in Guarulhos, has a long history of occurrences involving the transport of fauna and flora items, high-value goods and drugs. Trips to African countries are used by gangs who take stolen cell phones for resale.

Checking the luggage, they explain to the passenger arriving from Miami with electronics falsely identified as belonging to a deceased family member that assets valued at more than $1,000 must be declared. The tax is 50% of what you exceed and a 25% fine for not having declared it.

“A target is a target”, celebrate the agents, after an arrest in flagrante delicto. Justifications such as “I’m a businessman”, “I have a family” or “I’m a state deputy in Amapá” are common, but have no effect on agents — they only help to outline the profile of a class of passengers used to picking up wallets.

After watching three episodes of the series, the choice for the “Nothing to declare” queue on the next trip back to Brazil may no longer be less automatic and tends to be taken over by disturbing thoughts — could it be that the agent’s “good morning” of Revenue was a test? Is the jar of Argentine dulce de leche in the suitcase actually a risk to national agriculture? Doesn’t the notebook in the bag look brand new?

There is also a willingness to share the sense of social justice that permeates some of the cases shown. It’s as if the audience were also invited to mentally choose to separate the cases in the line of “lost, fool” or in the line of “let him go, young man”.

On the one hand, it is possible to enthusiastically disapprove of the rare wood smuggler. The young man used as a “mule” by the criminal scheme and the seller of unlabeled Korean vitamins may not have been successful at customs, but it makes you want to declare compassion for them.

Even so, the series cannot completely escape some vices and catchphrases of police shows. It is a feeling that gradually diminishes, but is never completely overcome.

In this context, despite the sympathy aroused by the agents, especially in more dramatic or funny moments, and the interest in knowing more about the restricted area of ​​the terminals, Latinos end up being suspects even at the airport of a Latin country, “mules” are arrested (but it is known that the leader of the gang will remain free) and rich evaders must continue evading.