Brazilian government strengthens policing in conflict areas in Amazonas
21 de January de 2025
By Ana Cláudia Leocádio – From Cenarium
BRASÍLIA (DF) – The Ministry of Justice and Public Security (MJSP) has extended the deployment of the National Public Security Force for another 90 days to combat organized crime, drug trafficking, and environmental crimes in the areas surrounding the Negro and Solimões Rivers, specifically in the municipalities of Barcelos and Coari in the state of Amazonas.
In Ordinance No. 858, published in the Official Gazette on Monday, the 20th, Justice Minister Ricardo Lewandowski stated that the extension aims to support the Government of Amazonas. It will carry out “essential activities and services to maintain public order and ensure the safety of people and property, on a planned and episodic basis, for 90 days, from January 19 to April 18, 2025.”
The document also establishes that “the operation will receive logistical support from the requesting agency, which must provide the necessary infrastructure for the National Public Security Force.”
The first ordinance authorizing the use of the National Force in support of security activities in Barcelos and Coari was issued on October 17, 2024.
Both Coari and Barcelos have nearby Public Security enforcement structures focused on combating organized crime, resulting in significant drug seizures. While the Solimões municipality hosts the Arpão 1 Riverine Base, the Arpão 2 Base has been established in the Negro River municipality.
Court Orders Government Action
The municipality of Coari, located 363 kilometers from Manaus in the Médio Solimões region, is experiencing a wave of violence that has demanded heightened efforts from state security forces.
The security crisis in Coari prompted the State Public Prosecutor’s Office (MPE) to file a public civil action (ACP) with the Amazonas State Court in 2021. Judge Nilo da Rocha Marinho Neto recently issued a preliminary injunction requiring the “Government of Amazonas to implement effective public policies to reinforce security, increase police personnel, and invest in equipment.”
According to the MPE, the lawsuit identifies the activity of criminal organizations, especially groups known as “river pirates” and “river rats,” as the main cause of violence. These groups target vessels on the Solimões River, contributing to drug trafficking and endangering local fishermen and farmers.
“The alarming situation in Coari, with high crime rates and the presence of criminal organizations, demands an urgent and efficient response from the State. This action seeks to ensure the fundamental right to security and the preservation of human dignity,” stated Bruno Escórcio Cerqueira Barros, head of Coari’s 2nd Public Prosecutor’s Office. He continued an action initiated by Justice Promoter Thiago de Melo Roberto Freire in 2021.
The MPE has highlighted Coari’s strategic location on a trafficking route and the lack of resources and investments in the 5th Military Police Battalion (BPM), exposing the state’s failure to ensure public security in the region.
The judge set a six-month deadline to increase personnel by 40 military officers beyond the current allotment in Coari and to provide the 5th BPM with at least two high-speed boats equipped with dual high-power engines, communication equipment, heavy-caliber weapon mounts, and armor systems.
Additionally, the ruling mandates an adequate monthly fuel allowance for the 13 vehicles (six cars and seven motorcycles) and the rapid boat of the 5th BPM, the provision of at least two trailers to transport the speedboats, and sufficient non-lethal weapons for maintaining public order in the area.
Failure to comply will result in a daily fine of R$5,000, with personal notification to the State Secretary of Public Security (SSP-AM) and the commander of the Amazonas Military Police (PM-AM).
CENARIUM attempted to contact the Secretary of Public Security of Amazonas, Colonel Marcos Vinícius, but was unsuccessful.
Situation in Barcelos
Since the first week of January 2025, the National Force has been deployed in Barcelos, 399 kilometers from Manaus, to support local security forces following the murder of Rosimar Santos de Oliveira, a 48-year-old indigenous woman from the Baré ethnic group. She was assaulted and killed by two individuals from the Yanomami ethnic group, which sparked outrage in the city.
Authorities have arrested Sirrico Aprueteri Yanomami, 19, for his direct involvement in the collective sexual assault, and Sandoval Aprueteri Yanomami, whose age was not disclosed, for aiding the suspects in their escape.
The municipality, located along the Negro river, has also become a drug trafficking route. In November 2022, over 130 kilograms of narcotics were seized in Barcelos during an operation by the Amazonas Special Operations Company (COE-PMAM) and the Federal Police Narcotics Enforcement Division (DRE-AM) as part of Operation Horus/Safer Borders.
In July 2024, the Amazonas Military Police (PM-AM), in collaboration with the Civil Police (PC-AM), Federal Police (PF-AM), and the Brazilian Air Force (FAB), seized approximately 95 kilograms of drugs near the municipality. The drugs, transported in an aircraft from Colombia, were divided into 90 packages: 60 of cocaine base paste and 30 of cocaine hydrochloride.
In November 2024, soldiers stationed at the Arpão 2 Riverine Base confiscated over 300 kilograms of skunk marijuana from a canoe carrying two men, aged 39 and 29, who were arrested in the act. Earlier in June, the PM-AM recorded the largest drug seizure in the state’s history: 1.5 tons of skunk marijuana, valued at an estimated R$37 million.