2023-10-17 04:38:00
.50 machine guns are for the exclusive use of the Armed Forces Reproduction/Brazilian Army This Tuesday (17), the theft of 21 machine guns from the Army War Arsenal at the Barueri base, in Greater São Paulo, completes one week. Coveted for their high destructive power, the weapons could end up in the possession of criminal factions, according to experts interviewed by R7. Two models disappeared from the military base: 13 .50 caliber machine guns and eight 7.62 caliber machine guns. The first category, used in war scenarios such as the Middle East, is the one that most concerns public security researchers. With the capacity to fire around 600 projectiles per minute, the .50 machine gun has a range of up to 2 km, can pierce armor — such as value carrier cars — and even shoot down helicopters. “It’s a weapon that criminal organizations are interested in, mainly for actions typical of the new cangaço, in which they surround cities, isolate Military Police battalion and police station and take the entire population hostage”, explains Roberto Uchôa, federal police officer and member of the council of the FBSP (Brazilian Public Security Forum). In 2017, more than 8 million dollars were stolen in the mega-robbery of the Prosegur securities company in Ciudad del Este, Paraguay. Around 50 people — with links to the PCC (First Command of the Capital) — invaded the company’s headquarters, precisely with anti-aircraft machine guns. For Bruno Langeani, project manager at Instituto Sou da Paz, another concern about the circulation of this type of weaponry among criminal factions is its use against security forces. A well-known case is that of the Military Police helicopter hit by gunfire from drug dealers in Morro do Macaco, in the north of Rio de Janeiro. The episode occurred in 2009 and is an example of how the use of heavy weapons by criminal organizations is not a recent issue. See also CACs Cities: number of Brazilians authorized to have weapons grows 566% in four years São Paulo Minister Cristiano Zanin’s sister is attacked while walking dogs in SP São Paulo Tarcísio says he will send a bill for the privatization of Sabesp to Alesp this Tuesday (17) Due to its offensive capacity, Langeani classifies the theft of machine guns from the military base as a national security problem, in addition to impacting the private sector. The diversion of weapons also highlights a serious security failure by the Army, says the researcher. “This is not an isolated case. [O desvio] It has even happened routinely, and this is worrying, because if the Army observes that it has a problem in its weapons control within its arsenals and it doesn’t improve, we have a problem”, adds Uchôa. Illegal market Another attraction of the .50 machine gun – which is for restricted use by the Armed Forces – is the possibility of sale on the illegal market. The value can vary from R$150,000 to R$200,000, depending on supply and demand. “It’s not a weapon that you can get easily on the market . Normally, it is diverted from the Armed Forces of Brazil or neighboring countries. So, there is demand and a lot of people interested in buying”, reinforces the FBSP board member. Carlos Augusto, political scientist and member of the Public Security, Violence and Justice Research Group at UFABC, points out another use for heavy caliber weapons stolen: the rent. • Click here and receive news from R7 on your Whatsapp • Share this news via WhatsApp • Share this news via Telegram “[A arma] It can even be sold, but the most profitable use is rent. Criminal organizations that commit robbery usually rent weapons. They have no property. So, it’s a very well-established and organized economic network”, explains Augusto. Rentals can be made for a specific type of event or per day, and the value can vary between R$50,000 and R$100,000 depending on the type of weapon. , according to the political scientist. Diversion of weapons Each .50 machine gun weighs approximately 50 kilos. All the equipment stolen from the War Arsenal last week amounts to more than half a ton of metal, that is, the criminal action could hardly be carried out without internal help, point out the experts interviewed by the report. “Nobody enters an Army battalion by ransacking all the buildings. These cases are very targeted, and, in this specific case, I personally have no doubt that there was internal participation due to its size”, says the project manager at Instituto Sou da Paz. For Langeani, the crime is the result of an order with participation in organized crime. Criminal action required logistical and financial planning, so it could not be carried out by small groups. Uchôa also points out that theft exposes the weakness in arms control by the Brazilian Army and the federal government. “It is not enough to control and fight to remove what is arriving. It is necessary to prevent these deviations from continuing to occur”. Investigation Currently, the Southeast Military Command and a team from the Department of Science and Technology, sent from headquarters in Brasília, are the only ones investigating the crime. As no member of the Army contacted the Civil Police to file a police report, the SSP-SP (São Paulo Public Security Secretariat) informed that it does not participate in the investigations. Read also PCC Brazil x-ray records 8 rapes per hour in 2022, and number of cases reaches highest level in history Reports of rape against children increase by more than 50% in Brazil in one year However, the department reported, in a note, that “The Civil and Military Police undertake massive efforts to locate the stolen material and identify and arrest the perpetrators of the crime.” On Saturday (14), the Secretary of Public Security, Guilherme Derrite, also declared on his social networks that the theft of machine guns could have “catastrophic consequences”. In the report, the project manager of the Sou da Paz Institute assures that the Army is wrong in trying to investigate the crime alone and not calling other bodies to help it recover the weapons. In 2009, seven rifles were stolen from a barracks in Caçapava, in the interior of São Paulo. At the time, the military received help from the Civil and Federal police, managing to recover all of its weapons after three months, recalls Langeani. These institutions, according to the researcher, already have a structure for monitoring criminal factions – such as the PCC and the CV – with telephone tapping and monitoring of leaders. On the other hand, the Army does not have this expertise. Political scientist Carlos Augusto also points to operational problems in the Armed Forces that corroborate the diversion of weapons, such as the old and precarious structure of the barracks and the temporary hiring of employees. “They are not fixed, long-term careers. This makes the execution of the work precarious and the possibility of more easily co-opting this agent inside”, he explains. What does the Army say? When asked about the progress of the investigations, the Army limited itself to informing that they are ongoing and under secrecy. A Military Police Inquiry was also launched. The corporation also stated that 480 soldiers have been stationed since the disappearance of the machine guns. That is, they cannot leave the military base. “The military is being interviewed so that we can identify relevant data for the investigation,” says the statement.
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