Jakarta, hitclubapk3 Indonesia
—
Gangster
criminals reportedly continue to expand their territory and even “control” almost half of the cities in the Amazon region,
Brazil
.
A report by an influential non-profit organization explains that gangster operations that are increasingly widespread and influential in cities near the Amazon region are also threatening the preservation of the largest tropical rainforest in the world.
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“This criminal group is trying to expand and optimize their illegal activities,” said David Marques, one of the authors of the report, to the Associated Press, quoted
hitclubapk3
.
“In addition to drug trafficking, there has been an increase in extortion and environmental violations,” he added.
According to Marques, the increasing influence of criminal gangs is triggering territorial struggles, widespread use of weapons, and increasing levels of violence.
The agency reported that the network of criminal gangs now operates in 344 of 772 cities/districts or as much as 45%.This figure is up 32% from the previous 260 regions and more than double compared to two years ago.
Meanwhile, the influence of the Red Command gang, one of the most powerful criminal groups and a target of the government, has doubled since 2023.
The police even launched a brutal raid operation to crush Red Command members, killing 121 people at the end of last October.
In 2024, data shows there will be 8,047 murders in the region, with a rate of 27.3 cases per 100,000 people or 31% higher than the national average.
Rio-based Red Commando controls the river route with cartels from Peru and Colombia.
The distribution of drugs was directed to a number of important ports such as Manaus, Santarem, Barcarena, Macapa, and Belem, the host city of COP30.
Meanwhile, First Capital Command from Sao Paulo focuses on using illegal airstrips in remote areas to support illegal mining activities.
Apart from Red Command and its main rival, First Capital Command, around 17 other criminal gangs are also expanding their operations in Brazil, including Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua, which has been the target of military operations under US President Donald Trump.
Meanwhile, Brazil’s Director of Public Security, Renato Sérgio de Lima, emphasized that the fight against organized crime in the Amazon must consider new development models that do not rely on resource exploitation.
The bill, which was passed by Brazil’s lower house of parliament on Tuesday (18/11), would stiffen penalties for various crimes if the perpetrator is a member of a gang, including increasing the sentence for premeditated murder from 6-20 years to 20-40 years.
The bill authorizes the government to seize assets before conviction and requires gang leaders to be held in high-security federal prisons.
Now, the bill has been brought to the Senate and is likely to be amended, but it is believed that the compromise version will still pass because the issue of crime is the main concern of society
(rnp/rds)
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