Military police agents who protected drug dealers in Rio favela arrested

An operation launched following probes conducted by prosecutors saw 46 military police agents arrested for pocketing bribes to protect drug traffickers in favelas in São Gonçalo, outside the city of Rio de Janeiro. According to official data, 200 thousand phone calls intercepted over the course of two years reveal that the police often kidnapped drug dealers at least three times in a bid to get higher kickbacks.

The crackdown is regarded as the biggest operation against police corruption in the city's history and is expected to serve 172 warrants for preventive arrest issued to prevent the investigated from contacting witnesses or committing any further wrongdoing.

The kickbacks received by the gang totaled a monthly $300 thousand, which would reach the military agents by means of middlemen.

In addition to offering traffickers protection in exchange for money, the police would also sell them guns confiscated as part of police operations.

Colonel Wolney Dias, commander-in-chief of the military police, said the police charged have betrayed both the institution and society, but argued this cannot be used to discredit the police body. “It doesn't matter if 90, 900 or 9 thousand agents should be banned. We don't want traitors in our institution,” he declared.

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira