Back in September, Brazilian army troops were deployed to quell fighting between rival drug gangs in Rocinha [9], the most notoriously violent of Rio de Janiero's favelas—the informal urban settlements in the north of the city, virtually abandoned by the government for anything other than militarized anti-drug operations. On Dec. 6, authorities announced the apprehension [10] of the fugitive gang leader who was said be behind that wave of violence but eluded capture at the time. Rogerio Avelino da Silva AKA "Rogerio 157" [9] was detained in Arara, another favela.
Nearly 3,000 officers from the Federal Police as well as army troops took part in the "mega-operation" that led to his arrest—although Rogerio offered no resistance in the end. Some of the arresting officer took selfies with the apprehended gang boss. Brazilian daily O Globo [7] published the selfies, some of which show Rogerio smiling while the rifle-toting officers flashed the peace sign.
A reward of 50,000 reals ($15,000) was placed on da Silva's head, and his eluding of the authorities was clearly seen as a humiliation. The spectacular violence in Rocinha was just the most recent of his high-profile escapades. In 2010, Rogerio was part of a posse that took several tourists hostage at the Intercontinental Hotel in Rio's swanky São Conrado beach. One woman was killed in the ensuing shoot-out.
Rogerio was said to be a virtual government unto himself across much sprawling Rocinha and neighboring favelas, where the cocaine trade is virtually the only economy. But his arrest may only set off a new power struggle among the gangs that control the favela. The Rio Times [11] reports that just minutes after the apprehension of Rogerio, the echo of gunfire could be heard in Rocinha.
Cross-post to High Times [12] and Global Ganja Report [13]
