Lewandowski was quick to deal with prison break, says Jungmann

Former Defense and Public Security Minister Raul Jungmann said that Justice Minister Ricardo Lewandowski was quick to deal with the 2 prisoner escape of the Federal Penitentiary of Mossoró (RN), one of the 5 maximum security prisons in Brazil.

“Minister Lewandowski took absolutely coherent measures that he had to take. From what I've seen so far, he's been acting well and with energy and speed.”, he declared on Wednesday (Feb 14, 2024) in an interview with CNN Brazil.

The escape was the first occurrence of its kind in a federal penitentiary in the history of Brazil. Lewandowski determined on Wednesday night (14.Feb) the review of security equipment and protocols in the country's 5 federal penitentiaries. In a note, the ministry stated that the review should be “immediate”.

The minister called on the general directorate of the PF (Federal Police) to open investigations and instructed the corporation to register the names of fugitives in the Interpol Orange Diffusion System and in the Border Protection System so that the two could be transferred to be sought after by the international police community.

The PRF (Federal Highway Police) must monitor highways and support the recapture of fugitives, while Ficco (Integrated Forces to Combat Organized Crime) will collaborate with efforts to locate and arrest both.

The action already involves the engagement of more than 100 federal agents. The National Secretary of Penal Policies, André Garcia, went to Mossoró to investigate the escape in person and take appropriate action.

Jungmann said the federal government has no constitutional responsibility for public safety. “The police are state, Justice is state, the Public Ministry is state, which takes care of crimes against people and property”, he stated.

“What you have is a crime that has been nationalized, transnationalized, globalized, as we see happening. And, at the same time, we only have state policies, and these may be good, or they may be more of a mosaic, but there really is no responsibility, coordination and resources from the federal government.”, he added.

UNDERSTAND THE CASE

The fugitives were identified as Rogério da Silva Mendonça (Tatu) and Deibson Cabral Nascimento (Deisinho), and are part of Comando Vermelho. They are from Acre and were transferred to the Mossoró prison in September 2023.

The Public Security Secretariat of Rio Grande do Norte said it made contact with the Public Security secretariats of Paraíba and Ceará to carry out integrated police reinforcement actions on the borders between the States.