Organized crime gangs expanded into a third of cities in Brazil’s Amazon, report finds

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Organized crime gangs expanded into a third of cities in Brazil’s Amazon, report finds

2024-12-12 00:53 Last Updated At：01:01

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Criminal gangs are operating in over a third of municipalities in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest driving a boom in violence, according to a report published Wednesday by a prominent nonprofit organization.

Gangs were present this year in 260 of 772 municipalities in the region, compared with 178 in 2023, according to the Brazilian Forum on Public Safety. The entrenchment of “mafia-like” organizations — particularly the Red Command and First Capital Command (PCC) — “greatly aggravate the situation in the Legal Amazon, which is now seen as a very strategic territory for transnational trafficking, with the circulation of different illicit goods,” the report said.

The Legal Amazon is an area in nine states of Brazil that's home to the largest hydrographic basin in the world.

Of the 260 municipalities where organized crime groups are present, Red Command controls fully half, up from one-fourth last year, forum president Renato Sérgio de Lima told The Associated Press.

Red Command expanded into cities in Brazil's northern region after PCC took control of the drug trafficking route via Ponta Pora, a municipality on the border with Paraguay in the center-west region. Red Command has since swallowed up some local factions that no longer function autonomously, Lima said.

The fact that gangs are securing monopolies on criminal activities could help explain the 6.2% drop in violent deaths across the region from 2021 to 2023, authors wrote in the third edition of the report titled “Cartographies of Violence in the Amazon.”

However, "the internalization of violence to rural and forest areas has made small, quiet municipalities some of the most violent in the country,” they said.

The killings of Indigenous peoples expert Bruno Pereira and British journalist Dom Phillips in 2022 threw into sharp relief the increase in violence in the region. They were traveling along the Itaquai River near the entrance of the Javari Valley Indigenous Territory, which borders Peru and Colombia, when they were attacked. Their bodies were dismembered, burned and buried.

Brazilian police have formally charged a Colombian fish trader as the person who planned their slayings. The killings were motivated by Pereira’s efforts to monitor and enforce environmental laws in the region, police have said. Phillips was working on a book about Amazon preservation.

Federal Police detective Alexandre Saraiva, who led police departments in three Amazon states between 2011 and 2021, knew both Phillips and Pereira. “There's no shadow of a doubt” that organized crime in the region has increased in recent years, he said.

The expansion of criminal organizations in the Amazon happened at the same time as the growth of illegal mining, Saraiva said, which sharply increased under former President Jair Bolsonaro, who encouraged the practice.

After defeating Bolsonaro in the 2022 election and returning to office for a third, non-consecutive term in January 2023, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has sought to tackle crime and deforestation in the region. While deforestation has decreased, the report shows his administration has had little success in reigning in the expansion of drug gangs.

“Today, might makes right in the Amazon,” Saraiva, who authored the book “Jungle: Loggers, Miners and Corruption in a Lawless Amazon,” said by phone from Rio. He said some Brazilian lawmakers and local politicians were also responsible for the situation and accused them of receiving funds from criminal groups in exchange for protection.

Criminal organizations' grip over the region poses a public security problem, but it is also an obstacle to the development of sustainable practices experts say are essential for its preservation.

Brazil's Federal Police launched an operation on Wednesday against criminal organizations that transport gold illegally extracted from Indigenous lands, including the Munduruku Indigenous territory in the Amazon. Officers carried out nine arrest warrants across six states and seized assets worth $100 million, according to a statement. Over the course of a year-long investigation, groups transported approximately one tonne of illegal gold and recruited foreigners on commercial flights to fly with gold in their baggage, police said.

The police operation is “an example of how the state can and should act,” Lima said. But tackling drug trafficking, environmental crimes, land-grabbing and other illegal actions also requires coordinated, multi-pronged public policies as well as local development projects, according to the report.

“There is no magic wand that is going to solve all the problems,” he said.

Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

The Latest: Russia-West rift at forefront of celebrations for victory over Nazis

2025-05-10 03:39 Last Updated At：03:40

In contrast to Russia’s celebrations marking 80 years since the surrender of the Nazis, European leaders agreed to set up a tribunal to try Russian leaders for Moscow’s war on Ukraine.

The rift between Western European powers and Russia — erstwhile allies who defeated Nazi Europe — was laid even more bare Friday as the European Union pledged another 2 billion euros to help Ukraine arm, this time with money raised from Russia’s own frozen assets.

Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted the leaders of China, Brazil and many others for a massive parade meant to project Russian power.

While Britain, France and the U.S. held ceremonies Thursday, EU foreign ministers opted to meet in Lviv in support of Ukraine. European leaders will do the same as they gather in Oslo.

Russian President Vladimir Putin held more bilateral meetings with foreign leaders at the Kremlin on Friday.

After holding talks with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the Russian leader also sat down with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, and then Serbia President Aleksandar Vucic.

Putin said that the Kremlin appreciated that Vucic came to Russia despite the pressure. Vucic had previously said that he wouldn’t cancel the trip even amid European Union pressure that visiting Moscow could derail Serbia’s ambitions to join the bloc, and earlier this week Baltic countries Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, which border Russia, announced plans to close their airspace to the planes carrying Serbia’s and Slovakia’s leaders to Moscow out of safety concerns.

“I know that they tried to dissuade you, certain logistical problems were created, but nevertheless, you are here with us, and we highly appreciate it,” Putin said.

The two discussed Russian gas supplies to Serbia, among other things.

France and Poland have signed a new treaty that includes mutual security guarantees in case the two EU countries are attacked.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and French president Emmanuel Macron met in the eastern French city of Nancy Friday to finalize the deal they said will help reinforce peace and security in Europe following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Macron said the deal only “strengthens and operationalizes” an existing link and won’t replace either NATO or the European Union.

Tusk said Poland will remain committed to NATO as the country spends almost 5% of its GDP on defense.

Macron said that under the treaty, France could intervene quickly in Poland and hinted that it could receive protection under France’s nuclear weapons deterrent.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says Moscow “will not be reacting” to the announcement that a special tribunal to prosecute Russian officials accused of war crimes will be created.

Earlier on Friday, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry said that a special tribunal to prosecute Russian war crimes in Ukraine will be formally set up at a Council of Europe Committee of Ministers meeting later this month.

In a joint statement with foreign ministers from some 40 countries, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said technical legal work needed to establish the tribunal is now completed. The Committee of Ministers meeting will be held in Luxembourg on May 13-14.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has hosted foreign leaders at a reception in the Kremlin as part of celebrations to showcase Russia’s global clout and the West’s failure to isolate Moscow.

The Russian leader on Friday raised a toast “to the glorious generation of victors, to the triumph of truth and justice, to the prosperity of our countries and peoples.”

He later sat down with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to discuss bilateral ties. More meetings with foreign leaders were planned for Friday, the Kremlin said earlier this week.

Putin’s foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov told Russia’s state-funded Channel One TV station that the Russian leader also exchanged “congratulations on the occasion of our common holiday” and “warm words” with U.S. President Donald Trump through their aides.

Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry says a special tribunal to prosecute Russian war crimes in Ukraine will be formally set up at a Council of Europe Committee of Ministers meeting later this month.

In a joint statement with foreign ministers from some 40 countries, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said Friday technical legal work necessary to establish the tribunal is now completed. The Commitee of Ministers meeting will be held in Luxembourg on May 13-14.

The tribunal will focus on prosecuting Russian leaders most responsible for the full-scale invasion of Ukraine that began in 2022.

Ukraine’s Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal says the European Union will allocate almost 1.9 billion euros for military support to his country.

Shmyhal posted on his Telegram page Friday that a billion euros from this amount will go toward the purchase of weapons directly from Ukrainian manufacturers.

Some 600 million euros will go toward procuring artillery and ammunition and another 200 million will be used to bolster Ukraine’s air defences..

Shmyhal said he’s particularly grateful to Denmark, France, the Netherlands and Italy which will help in the 1 billion euro purchase of weapons.

The Ukrainian official called the military support package “historic” because weapons will be purchased using proceeds from Russian frozen assets through the European Peace Fund.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine because he escaped punishment for previous wars he had waged.

He said “Russia must be held accountable for its aggression just as the Nazis were,” urging for full EU support for the creation of a tribunal to prosecute Russian crimes.

The Ukrainian president also indicated that Europe is preparing another 1 billion euro ($1.12 billion) military aid package for his country, bringing the total of new EU support funds to 4 billion euros ($4.5 billion).

Standing alongside top Ukrainian government officials in Lviv, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas paid respects to the victims of the war in Ukraine at a cemetery there.

Kallas said she “couldn't understand” how other leaders could stand with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow for Friday's celebrations in the Russian capital.

Kallas and dozens of European officials gathered in Lviv to endorse the creation of a special tribunal tasked to prosecute crimes of aggression by top Russian officials in the war on Ukraine.

Kallas said the court’s launch will mean that “nobody can be left unpunished for the crimes committed," including leaders who decided to send soldiers into Ukraine.

She urged other countries to back the tribunal, warning that such crimes could be repeated without accountability.

Estonia's Narva Museum has hung a banner of a composite portrait of Vladimir Putin and Adolf Hitler as the Russian president hosts celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.

The banner hung from the museum's castle wall read 'Putler War Criminal' and is visible from the Russian side of the Narva River, according to the museum's Facebook post.

Estonia has refused to allow use of its airspace for any flights to and from Moscow for the Russian celebrations, according to the Baltic News Service.

Several European leaders said they had a good conversation with Trump Thursday shortly before he posted on his Truth Social platform to say that the U.S. calls for a 30-day unconditional ceasefire in Ukraine.

Trump said if the ceasefire is not respected “the U.S. and its partners will impose further sanctions” on Russia.

Nordic and Baltic leaders gathering ahead of a security meeting in Oslo, Norway, called Trump up Thursday and “put the phone on the table” to speak to him, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb said the call lasted around 20 minutes while Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal described it as “excellent,” adding that Trump’s position has “gone toward working with European partners.”

Top U.S. officials previously indicated Europe would be cut out of discussions with the U.S. on Ukraine and threatened to walk away from involvement in negotiations unless a deal is done.

France's foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, says European allies have agreed on another package of sanctions against Russia. Barrot did not elaborate on the details of the package, saying it will be adopted “in the coming days.”

He spoke from Lviv, Ukraine, where dozens of European officials are meeting to endorse the creation of a special tribunal tasked to prosecute crimes of aggression by top Russian officials in the war on Ukraine.

“I’m sure that this tribunal will allow for the fight against impunity against all war crimes that have been committed during this war of aggression of Russia against Ukraine,” Barrot said. “There is no peace without justice, and there is no justice without the truth.”

Barrot added that French president Emmanuel Macron spoke on Thursday with U.S. President Donald Trump and told him that it’s time to force Russia's Vladimir Putin to agree to a ceasefire.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has praised Russian troops fighting in Ukraine, saying “we are proud of their courage and determination, their spiritual force that always has brought us victory."

Putin was speaking during Friday's military parade. The Russian leader declared a unilateral 72-hour ceasefire starting Wednesday to coincide with the Victory Day celebrations, but warned that Russian troops will retaliate to any attacks.

Moscow has been reluctant to accept a U.S.-proposed 30-day truce that Ukraine has accepted, linking it to a halt in Western arms supplies to Ukraine and Kyiv’s mobilization effort, conditions Ukraine and its Western allies have rejected.

Ukrainian authorities reported scores of Russian strikes on Friday that killed at least two people in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions and damaged buildings.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he had a “good conversation” with Donald Trump, during which the two marked Victory Day and discussed the path toward peace in Ukraine.

Zelenskyy said Friday he briefed Trump on the battlefield situation and reiterated that Ukraine is ready for a 30-day ceasefire “starting even today,” urging Russia to support the proposal.

He emphasized Ukraine’s willingness to engage in talks “in any format” but said Russia must prove its commitment by declaring a full, unconditional ceasefire.

Zelenskyy added that Trump confirmed his desire to help end the war and supported the idea of a ceasefire, with both agreeing to remain in contact.

Russia began a vast military parade in Moscow's Red Square to mark the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.

President Vladimir Putin and a host of foreign leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico, attended the parade.

A massive parade through Red Square and other ceremonies underline Moscow’s efforts to project its power and cement the alliances it has forged while seeking a counterbalance to the West amid the 3-year-old war in Ukraine.

Festivities this year were overshadowed by reports of Ukrainian drone attacks targeting Moscow and severe disruptions at the capital’s airports, as well as cellphone internet outages on Wednesday.

Victory Day, which celebrates the surrender of Nazi Germany that ended World War II, is Russia's most important secular holiday.

While most Western countries celebrate the anniversary on May 8, Russia celebrates it on May 9.

Gen. Dwight Eisenhower, supreme commander of the Allied forces in Europe, actually accepted the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany at 2:41 a.m. local time on May 7, in a ceremony at Reims, France. Although the news leaked out by that evening, the official announcement was delayed until the following day as the U.S., Britain and France tried to work out differences with the Soviet Union, which felt the surrender didn’t recognize the sacrifices its troops had made in securing victory.

A second surrender document was signed around midnight on May 8 in Berlin, satisfying Soviet concerns.