Unfazed by Brazil's army, Rio drug gangs willing to wait out occupation
Despite their role in the drug trade the gangs have long provided authority where the government does not
Reuters (UK)
Tuesday, April 24, 2018
Tuesday, April 24, 2018
Leaders of Rio de Janeiro's heavily armed drug gangs agree on at least one thing with the head of Brazil's army: An ongoing military intervention cannot solve the soaring crime and violence that is roiling the seaside metropolis. "Will the army break this cycle of violence?" asked a leader of the Red Command, Rio's most powerful drug gang, on a recent weeknight as deputies weighed marijuana and cocaine on a digital scale in a slum from which they operate. "Not a chance." The comments come two months after President Michel Temer deployed 30,000 troops here, saying organised crime had "taken over Rio de Janeiro."
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