Police raids have recently killed many in Brazil, leading to concern. According to multiple sources including the BBC and CNN, the latest web of police raids on drug cartels — driven by the killing of a police special forces officer in the coastal town of Guarujá — have killed around fifty people. In addition to the latest raids, many other police raids were carried out against drug gangs in the Latin American country in the past. According to multiple sources, raids carried out in Rio de Janeiro and other places for the last several years have led to the deaths of thousands, including gangs and police. But it remains unclear whether and how much killings will reduce drug gangs.
It is notable that drug gangs are a major problem that has plagued the country for decades. There are many drug gangs, including the Primeiro Comando da Capital, Comando Vermelho and Amigos dos Amigos, which control vast territories and engage in various criminal activities, including drug trafficking, extortion and violence. The crimes associated with drug gangs are a significant concern for public safety and have led to numerous deaths and human rights abuses. Brazil has definitely taken various steps to address drug gangs. But its efforts are mostly law-enforcement based: the strengthening of law enforcement agencies, increasing their presence in areas affected by drug gangs and improving intelligence gathering and sharing information among different agencies to better target drug gang operations.
There are law-enforcement based and other challenges to addressing drug gangs in Brazil successfully. One of the challenges is the vast and complex nature of the country’s borders. With a coastline stretching over 7,000 kilometers and sharing borders with ten different countries, it becomes extremely difficult to monitor and control the flow of drugs into and within Brazil. The presence of powerful and organized criminal networks further complicates efforts to combat drug trafficking, as they often have extensive resources and influence that enable them to evade law enforcement authorities. Among others, the lack of comprehensive drug education programs and limited access to addiction treatment facilities put barriers to successfully addressing drug gangs.
It is desired that drug trafficking is addressed. Increased collaborations between different agencies, intelligence-driven operations and strengthened border patrols can help target drug trafficking networks and dismantle their operations more successfully. But measures are important to reduce human rights violations including killings during raids. The use of cameras —along with training programs on human rights and accountability mechanisms —may be effective. According to the BBC, São Paulo’s military police have worn cameras on their uniforms which reduced the number of people killed by police by 61 percent in the first two years since 2020. Among others, addiction treatment facilities, counseling services and awareness building steps are imperative.
But the emphasis also needs to be given to addressing the underlying causes of joining drug gangs including inadequacies in income opportunities, which motivate many to join drug gangs as a means of survival or economic opportunity in the South American country. Strengthened efforts need to be made to support at-risk youth to reduce the chance of their joining drug gangs in Brazil. A significant reduction in drug gangs can reduce violence and crime in Brazil. But drug gangs also need to be encouraged to come to social lives and options need to be kept for bringing them to social lives.
Amir M Sayem
Chief Editor
Dhaka Opinion Magazine
