10/22/2023 – 18:52
At least 20 soldiers will face disciplinary proceedings for the theft of 21 weapons from the Army War Arsenal, in Barueri, in the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo. Of these, seven are suspected of direct participation in the diversion of weapons, according to the Southeast Military Command. Around 40 soldiers are still unable to leave the barracks because they still need to make statements about the case.
The information was released by the Army in a press conference this Sunday, 22nd. According to the Chief of Staff of the Southeast Military Command, General Maurício Vieira Gama, all soldiers who participated in the episode will be punished. “We have several soldiers in the barracks who, due to negligence, failed to act in the management, control and supervision of the material. These people are being tried administratively and could be arrested,” said Gama.
The processes are in the defense phase of the military, including officers of various ranks, sergeants, corporals and soldiers. After this stage, they will be judged and may be subject to disciplinary arrest for up to 30 days. Those involved will also face criminal proceedings in the Military Court. Until this Saturday, 21, 160 soldiers were stationed at the Barueri War Arsenal due to the disappearance of weapons. At the beginning, there were more than 400 investigations. Most of the troops have already been released.
The theft of 21 weapons of war, including 13 .50 caliber machine guns capable of downing aircraft, and eight 7.62 caliber machine guns, took place between the 5th and 8th of September and was discovered on the 10th, during an inspection of the barracks. . As of this Sunday, 22, 17 machine guns had been recovered by the police in Rio and São Paulo. Eight weapons were located in Gardênia Azul, a community in the west of Rio de Janeiro, on the 19th. Another nine were found hidden in a mudflat, in São Roque, in the interior of São Paulo, this Saturday, the 21st.
Four .50 caliber machine guns are still missing. “We are working with public security agencies, who have worked with our support. We are working together and we hope, in the short space of time, to find these four weapons that are talking”, said the general.
According to him, the control of weapons, which were on site for maintenance, is efficient and military personnel may have been involved in the episode. “If there was no participation from our people, an episode like this would never happen. This is what we are raising at the administrative level, who failed to do something. They will be punished for action and inaction,” he said.
The theft of the 21 weapons is the largest ever to happen in the recent history of the Brazilian Army, according to the Sou da Paz Institute. Until then, the biggest record had been the theft of seven rifles from a battalion in Caçapava, in the interior of São Paulo, in 2009. The weapons were quickly recovered and the suspects, including a soldier, were arrested.
The suspicion is that the stolen weapons were directed to criminal factions, as stated by the Secretary of Public Security of São Paulo, Guilherme Derrite, after the recovery of the nine machine guns in São Roque. Asked about the final recipients of the weapons, he said they would be “both the Red Command (faction that operates in Rio) and the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC, São Paulo faction)”.
During the recovery of weapons in São Roque – five .50 caliber machine guns and four 7.61 machine guns – there was an exchange of fire with two criminals who, according to the police, were going to hand over the shipment to the PCC. The bandits fled. A police vehicle was hit by three shots, but no one was injured. In Rio, the police recovered eight machine guns (four .50 and four 7.62) that had been abandoned by criminals.
Due to the disappearance of the weapons, Lieutenant Colonel Rivelino Barata de Sousa Batista, director of the Arsenal de Guerra, was dismissed by the Army. He will be transferred to another barracks. In his place, Colonel Mário Victor Vargas Júnior was appointed to direct the Barueri arsenal.
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