Police lethality worsens in São Paulo, driven by deaths in the Baixada Santista region. Police lethality in the coastal region of São Paulo (including Santos) registered 28 deaths in the first quarter of 2026, the third-worst level in at least 14 years. The region was highlighted for its increase in deaths resulting from police actions and anti-drug trafficking operations, despite the overall reduction in robberies in the Baixada Santista area.
Santos registers a 60% drop in vehicle theft and a 40.36% decrease in general robberies. Santos registered a significant drop in the main crime rates in 2026 (report up to May): vehicle theft fell by 60% (35 cases in 2025 → 14 in 2026), robberies in general decreased by 40.36% (498 → 297 cases). First-time cargo theft was zero, home robbery fell by 14.7%, and violent deaths fell by 35%, despite one additional case of rape.
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07/05/2026 – On Thursday (07), an armed trio robbed a man on the beach on the corner of Av. Epitácio Pessoa and Rua Bassim Nagib Trabulsi, Ponta da Praia neighborhood. The criminals came on bikes and snatched a gold chain from the victim’s neck. After being called by the victim, the Police intercepted the suspects and approached the three with resistance. The victim recognized the suspects; and the gold chain was recovered.
08/05/2026 – Two men, aged 28 and 30, and a woman, aged 27, were arrested for drug trafficking and association with drug trafficking during a Civil Police operation in Santos, Estuário neighborhood; São Vicente, Humaitá neighborhood; Praia Grande, Vila Assunção neighborhood; on the coast of São Paulo, and in the capital city of São Paulo. According to the police, officers identified a criminal cell in the Baixada Santista region dedicated to trafficking drugs through a “drug delivery” scheme, that is, using a messaging app and delivery drivers to transport the narcotics.
10/05/2026 — Brazilian Federal Revenue Service seizes 341.75 kg of cocaine at the Port of Santos. Tax Analysts from the Federal Revenue Service seized 341.75 kg of cocaine at the Port of Santos on Sunday (May 10), as reported on May 11. The operation was carried out jointly with the Federal Police and the Brazilian Navy. The drug was hidden in the hull of a ship, marking the 3rd Customs Operation against trafficking in 2026. Navy divers were called in to inspect the ship and find the cargo.
11/05/2026 – Two men, aged 22 and 40, were arrested red-handed following a robbery at a convenience store in the early hours of Monday (11), in Ponta da Praia, in Santos, on the coast of São Paulo. With the duo, the police recovered the products taken from the establishment, cash, and a fake pistol (simulacrum) used in the criminal action. Military police officers were called to respond to the incident. At the scene, they discovered that the suspects had approached employees of the establishment before fleeing on bicycles.
11/05/2026 – Operation by the Military Police (PM) Tactical Force in Morro São Bento, in Santos, on the coast of São Paulo, ended with an exchange of gunfire between police and criminals on Monday night (11). After the confrontation, agents seized drugs and materials linked to drug trafficking. Despite the exchange of gunfire, no injuries were reported during the incident. After the confrontation, the criminals fled through the hill’s alleys.
13/05/2026 – The president of the Union of Employees in Cleanliness and Conservation Companies, Urban Cleaning and Green Areas of Santos and Region (Siemaco-Baixada Santista), André Domingues de Lima, was arrested this Wednesday morning (13) in a high-end property in the Embaré neighborhood, in Santos, on the coast of São Paulo. As determined by the Civil Police, André was the target of a preventive arrest warrant for the crime of attacking freedom of work. He is accused of threatening and forcing Terra Santos employees to remain on strike. The union leader claimed to be part of a criminal organization by coercing urban cleaning and garbage collection employees; three illegal weapons were found in properties linked to him.
16/05/2026 – During the early hours of Saturday (16), a Chinese merchant couple was held hostage during a violent home invasion in Santos. One of the three criminals even placed a gun inside one hostage’s mouth to demand their business earnings. Alerted by neighbors, the Military Police cordoned off the area and caught the attackers in the act as they fled across rooftops. A fourth accomplice, who acted as an informant regarding the couple’s routine, managed to escape and remains at large.
18/05/2026 – On Monday night (18), a man was caught on security cameras vandalizing a building’s facade in the Vila Mathias neighborhood. Unfazed by the surveillance, the suspect approached on a bicycle and ripped an aluminum bar straight off the condominium’s garage gate. The incident has heightened residents’ ongoing safety concerns regarding the area’s security, though an official police report has not yet been filed.
19/05/2026 – On Tuesday (19), a woman doing her groceries inside a supermarket in the Embaré neighborhood had her cell phone stolen. The theft was captured by the establishment’s security cameras. According to the victim’s partner, the device is still being paid for. The phone serves as the victim’s primary work tool, as she is self-employed. The couple attempted to send location-tracking messages requesting its return but received no response. The surveillance footage has been handed over to the Civil Police to identify and locate the thief.
19/05/2026 – On Tuesday afternoon (19), a serial thief struck again, stealing a cell phone from a shop in the Boqueirão neighborhood just after committing a similar theft at a supermarket in Embaré. Security camera footage caught the criminal exploiting the moment the store clerk stepped away, hiding the device under his helmet before fleeing on a motorcycle. Both incidents have been reported to the Civil Police.
22/05/2026 – On Friday morning (22), the body of an unidentified man was found on the beach in the José Menino neighborhood. A local resident noticed the police activity from an apartment window around 5:10 and captured video footage showing Civil Police vehicles at the scene. The São Paulo Secretariat of Public Security (SSP-SP) confirmed that forensics were called, and the case has been officially registered as a suspicious death at the city’s Central Judicial Police Station (CPJ).
23/05/2026 – On Saturday (23), Santos police created a targeted criminal database after identifying 23 extortionist street-parking attendants outside Vila Belmiro stadium following a complaint by a famous gospel singer whose car was keyed during a Copa Sudamericana match. The artist revealed an attendant vandalized her vehicle because she refused to buy scalped match tickets from him. In response to this widespread extortion and property damage targeting soccer fans, the 2nd Police Precinct launched the operation to fast-track ongoing investigations.
24/05/2026 – On Sunday (24), a 49-year-old man forced open the protective barrier of a pizza parlor door along Canal 4, in the Boqueirão neighborhood, to break inside and steal six jars of Nutella. Following the commercial burglary, the suspect was quickly intercepted by police officers, who successfully recovered all the stolen merchandise to return it to the establishment. The individual was arrested red-handed and held in custody on charges of grand theft.
27/05/2026 – On Wednesday afternoon (27), military police officers engaged in a shootout with criminals during an anti-drug operation in the Morro José Menino neighborhood. While patrolling near the Gruta Nossa Senhora de Lourdes stairway, the officers were ambushed by gunmen hidden in the woods. Law enforcement returned fire, and though the suspects escaped and no injuries were reported, police successfully recovered abandoned backpacks filled with narcotics and drug-packaging paraphernalia.
TRENDS & ADVICE
- Be cautious when in the vicinity of Embaré, Ponta da Praia, Campo Grande, Rádio Clube, Downtown, and Estuário.
- Never visit neighborhoods on the hills, such as Morro de São Bento, Jabaquara, Saboo, and others, since they are gang-controlled zones where shootouts occur frequently.
- Avoid passing near the VLT tunnel, in José Menino, as many drug users and homeless people stay there, especially next to the walls of the Clube dos Ingleses.
- The waterfront has many incidents of thefts and robberies (snatch and run), never display wealth, and avoid walking there during the night.
- During the Summer, risks increase, due to the bigger number of beachgoers.
- Residences in the neighborhoods of Pompeia, Gonzaga, Boqueirão, Embaré, Aparecida, Estuário, and Ponta da Praia are frequently targeted by thieves who look for bikes and items in the common areas.
- Make sure your building is well protected, with a 24/7 doorperson.
- Be cautious at all times, including in areas perceived as safe.
- Always carry a small amount of money (R$50) to hand over to muggers if attacked.
- In case of robbery: cooperate, do not try to run after the assailant, as they might be armed or resort to violence.
- In case of kidnapping:
- Cooperate in order to mitigate the risk of violence, and do not lie or provide false information to your kidnappers.
- Bear in mind that the vast majority of kidnappings are financially motivated, and nowadays they tend to be quick and focused on forcing the victims to transfer money using their cell phones.
- Attention to scams that may reach you through a WhatsApp message, e-mail, SMS, or a call.
