Escape plan included the protection of 70 men; police offer reward of 100 thousand reais (16 thousand euros) for information
Despite the attack, the main leader of Comando Vermelho in Complexo da Penha, Edgar Alves de Andrade, known as Doca, managed to escape the Rio de Janeiro police and remains on the run.
According to the investigation by Leandro Stoliar, an analyst at CNN Brasil, the escape was protected by around 70 members of Comando Vermelho, who laid a siege to ensure that Doca was able to escape the authorities.
“To understand the importance of Doca, a police source revealed that at least 70 criminals were providing security at the time of the operation,” explained Stoliar.
To try to capture Doca, the Rio police implemented a strategy known as the “bope wall”. The suspects were cornered in a forested area, where an intense confrontation took place that resulted in the death of dozens of individuals — most of the bodies were collected by the residents of Penha themselves and lined up in a square.
Doca managed to “cross” the wall and his whereabouts remain unknown.
“We were barely able to arrest Doca. We dealt a heavy blow to the faction. His time will come, just as it has for many others. Meanwhile, we are disrupting the criminal organization, with actions to combat money laundering, seizure of weapons, arrests and investigations. This is the technical work”, declared the Secretary of the Civil Police of Rio de Janeiro, Felipe Curi.
The Hotline service offers a reward of 100 thousand reais (16 thousand euros) for information leading to his capture. “It is the same amount that was offered for information about the whereabouts of Fernandinho Beira-Mar when he fled to Colombia.”
According to the Public Ministry, Doca is the one who gives the orders for the torture to take place in the Penha Complex. The indictment indicates that he uses WhatsApp groups to issue commands, manage trafficking and order the execution of individuals who go against his interests.
The total balance of the Rio de Janeiro government points to 121 deaths, of which 117 were suspects and four were police officers. Until Friday’s update (31), 99 bodies had been identified. According to authorities, 42 of those killed had outstanding arrest warrants and at least 78 had extensive criminal histories.
Also according to the Rio government, among the 117 suspects killed were nine heads of the Comando Vermelho from other regions who were in Penha at the time of the operation.
List of dead bosses:
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PP, head of drug trafficking in Pará
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Chico Rato, head of drug trafficking in Manaus (AM)
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Gringo, drug boss in Manaus (AM)
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Mazola, head of drug trafficking in Feira de Santana (BA)
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DG, head of drug trafficking in Bahia
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FB, head of drug trafficking in Bahia
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Fernando Henrique dos Santos, head of drug trafficking in Goiás
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Rodinha, head of drug trafficking in Goiânia (GO)
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Russo, head of drug trafficking in Vitória (ES)
So far, none of the names released come from the state of Rio de Janeiro. The Secretary of the Civil Police, Felipe Curi, also stated that it is from the Penha and Alemão complexes that all orders and directives from Comando Vermelho come from the states where the faction maintains activity.
With information from Thomaz Coelho, Beto Souza and Vitor Bonets.
