On Monday (09/10), four days after a videoconference held from inside the prison in which drug traffickers ordered the execution of criminals who murdered doctors in Barra da Tijuca, the State Secretariat for Penitentiary Administration (Seap) held a sweep operation in two prisons and collected 58 cell phones.
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During the search, as part of the mega-operation in the favelas dominated by Red Command (CV), the cell phone signal was cut off in the Gabriel Ferreira Castilho (Bangu 3) and Jonas Lopes de Carvalho (Bangu 4) penitentiaries. Seap agents used a handheld scanner — equipment acquired this year by the state government — to check improvised hiding places used by prisoners to hide cell phones and other illicit items inside the cells and identify items that could previously go unnoticed.
The Video Conference
In the early hours of Friday (06/10), the police found 4 bodies in 2 abandoned cars in different parts of the West Zone of Rio. According to investigations, they are the criminals who killed the doctors 24 hours earlier. The action of 4 drug traffickers from Red Command — the largest criminal faction in RJ — at the kiosk in front of the Windsor Hotel generated great unrest at the top of the gang, which includes inmates from Bangu 3. A meeting was called, and everyone involved went to the location known as Cabaret, in Complexo da Penha, dominated by the Red Command. Over the phone, in a video call, bosses decided on the death of the 4.
X-Ray Without Maintenance
In July this year, the State Secretariat for Penitentiary Administration (SEAP) requested the hiring of a specialized company to repair 17 inspection equipment in prison units in the State of Rio de Janeiro. Also called “bag x-ray”, the equipment used to prevent the entry of drugs, saws and cell phone chips are out of operation for technical reasons. In the request, SEAP asks that the repair be carried out by August, but maintenance has not been carried out to date.
Technical Note
Days after the crime, SEAP issued a technical note on the importance of carrying out services on x-ray machines. In the document, they reinforce the need to make repairs viable, since maintaining equipment in full working order “guarantees safety and strict control in inspection areas”. And that they “will prevent the entry of prohibited objects, in order to protect the security of Rio de Janeiro’s Prison Units.” The secretariat also highlights that the use of x-rays is “without a doubt, one of the extremely important procedures to be carried out in a Prison Unit when it comes to security”.
Units Without Equipment
The prison and hospital units whose equipment is not working are: Pedro Melo da Silva Public Prison, Nelson Hungary Prison, Talavera Bruce Penitentiary, Elizabeth Sá Rego Prison and Dr. Hamilton Agostinho Vieira de Castro Hospital, all in Gericinó, Rio de Janeiro. The Constantino Cokotós Public Prison and Edgard Costa Penal Institute, in Niterói. And the Judge Patrícia Lourival Acioli Public Prison, in São Gonçalo. In Japeri, the Cotrim Neto and João Carlos da Silva Public Prisons are without equipment. Another seven units in the interior of the state also have faulty x-ray equipment.
