Port of Santos bets on underwater drones to counter drug trafficking

Last year alone, Navy divers seized 1.68 tonnes of cocaine hidden in ship hulls as a result of inspection operations at the Port of Santos, the largest in the southern hemisphere. This amount is three times as much as the 483 kilograms intercepted in 2020, according to exclusive information obtained by Estadão. The repeated occurrence of this tactic of drug trafficking in Brazil, alongside other more traditional tactics such as concealing drugs in containers, poses a challenge to authorities. Currently, the activities of the criminal group First Capital Command (PCC in Portuguese) extend beyond borders, generating revenue beyond US$1 billion annually.

In an attempt to curb organized crime, the federal government issued a decree in November, authorizing the military to intervene in ports and airports in Rio and São Paulo, which includes the deployment of extra personnel until May. It is yet unknown whether the decree will be extended or not.

Meanwhile, the Port Authority of Santos (APS) plans to issue a tender later this semester to boost the use of technology in port security, an investment package that includes underwater drones.

“Currently, divers need to monitor 24.6 kilometers of the navigable channel. In other words, we would need thousands of divers to monitor the entire channel simultaneously,” says Anderson Pomini, president of APS. Currently, the Port Guard does not have divers, while the Navy supplies four professionals in operation.

After assessing the technologies used abroad, APS conducted an “internal study to hire underwater drones,” according to Pomini. “China developed a technology, already implemented in some rivers abroad, that meets our needs in terms of performing inspection, monitoring, bathymetry, dredging. We want to replicate this technology.”

APS wants to include this acquisition in the technology package hired to assist in the entry and exit of ships accessing the Port of Santos. According to Pomini, R$140 million is earmarked for this measure in this year’s budget. A tender is also planned to hire 60 new port guards – currently, 350 are active in the port.

The Port Guard also has the support of two aerial drones, in addition to 600 cameras, some with motion sensors. These images are shared in real-time with the Navy.

Customs data from Santos obtained by the University of São Paulo Violence Studies Center shows how underwater trafficking methods have grown in use. In 2020, the share of drugs found in ship hulls was 2.3%. In 2023, until August, this share jumped to 13.5%.

“They (members of organized crime) prefer to operate primarily at night and in areas with less patrolling and camera coverage. This is the case with the anchorage zone, a quite distant maritime area,” explains Gabriel Patriarca, a researcher at the Violence Studies Center.

Investigations indicate that, in general, cocaine packets are brought to ships in two ways: by small boats, which mainly move at night with lights off, or by divers, who come from areas with dense vegetation or more remote vessels. In addition to hoisting the packages, they also attach them to the hulls.

The researcher suggests that, to map this movement, other international ports are beginning to employ underwater drones. An example of that is the Port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands.

In Santos, the Port Authority’s plan entails adopting more robust monitoring systems. According to the Estadão press portal, the Port of Santos will receive R$21.28 billion in investments between 2024 and 2028, ranging from infrastructure improvements to a new system to monitor ship traffic.

“This could be a more effective way to have control over suspicious vessels approaching ships in the anchorage area,” says Patriarca, from USP.

According to police investigations, crew members co-opted by organized crime usually hoist drug packages in the anchorage area. It is no coincidence that the Federal Police focuses on inspecting ships in this space rather than others.

A joint action by federal agents, the Revenue Service, and the Navy in early 2023, for example, seized about 290 kg of cocaine found in the hull of a ship loaded with pulp. Traffickers even used gym weights to affix the packages to the container. The boat was heading to the Port of Martas, in Turkey.

To try to assist in the inspection of the anchorage area during the GLO operation period, the Navy sent about 400 soldiers to work in Santos. The team has an armored boat, known as the “Sea Skull.”

The DGS 888 Raptor “Mangangá” boat is used for the inspection of vessels that pose a potential risk to inspection teams. The vessel can carry up to 10 crew members and reaches a speed of 30 knots, in addition to carrying a 7.62mm machine gun.

“We understand that the numbers (of personnel) are modest given the size of the Port of Santos, but what we try to do is use intelligence information to act punctually, but precisely,” says Captain Marcus André de Souza e Silva, captain of the São Paulo Ports, Chief of Staff of the Southern-Southeast Naval Patrol Group Command.

During the four months of the operation, the Navy also aided in two other instances of cocaine seizure in Santos: one involving 10 kg found wrapped in the bodies of two foreign crew members aboard a vessel, and another where 31 kg were concealed in a high compartment within a ship’s bathroom.

In addition to the armored boat, the Navy sent a Mowag “Piranha” armored vehicle, a tank that was used in operations by the Armed Forces in Haiti and Rio de Janeiro. To reinforce operations, the institution also has two drones and three patrol ships, with the highlight being the “Maracanã,” a Macaé-class vessel equipped with a 40mm cannon and two machine guns.

“We’re not neglecting our duties in other areas, but right now, given the increased demand stemming from the GLO operation, we’ve focused a significant portion of our efforts on the Santos area, where our headquarters are located,” explains Corveta Captain Bernardo Dias, who serves as the chief of staff for the Southern-Southeast Naval Patrol Group Command.

It is the group’s responsibility, for example, to operate at the Port of Paranaguá, which, despite being one of the largest in the country, was not included in the GLO decree. According to Dias, the reallocation was made so as not to hurt the operation in other ports.

Despite the operation being slated to last until May, sources in the Navy stated that the federal government is considering an extension until December. The inclusion of the Port of Paranaguá, which is usually the second highest in cocaine seizures, legging only Santos, is also being considered.

More than 5,000 ships dock at the Port of Santos per year, which stands out for the export of soybeans, sugar, and beef. The main destinations for vessels are Asia and Europe; these are some of the places where the First Capital Command sells drugs.

PCC Sends 4 to 5 Tons of Cocaine Abroad Annually

Investigations by the Public Prosecutors Office indicate that the faction pays between US$1,200 and US$1,400 (approximately R$6,000 to R$7,000) per kilogram of cocaine to suppliers from neighboring countries such as Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia. In Europe, the kilo is sold for around €35,000.

It is estimated that the PCC sends between 4 and 5 tons of cocaine to other countries per month, especially through ports. According to the Prosecutors Office’s calculations, the faction profits about US$1 billion (almost R$5 billion) annually, with a focus on international cocaine sales.

According to the Navy, in the first four months of operation, there were over 27,000 vehicle stops, 7,400 vessel inspections, and 17,500 inspections of individuals and baggage.

Additionally, more than 4,500 containers were inspected in cooperation with other agencies, resulting in the confiscation of over 30 vessels for administrative irregularities. Another 215 vessels were notified.

Brazil’s Civil Police stated in a note that they launched the “Safe Navigation” and “Atlantic Pearl” operations in Santos, in October and November, with the support of Navy agents and the Port Captaincy.

A 38-year-old man wanted for drug trafficking was arrested. Meanwhile, a 15-year-old teenager was caught red-handed for offenses equivalent to criminal association.

“Four jet skis stolen were recovered and a boat with altered data was seized in Santos. In Guarujá, four jet skis with signs of irregularity and another four without documentation were collected,” it said.

The Ministry of Justice and the Federal Police declined to provide a comment.

Source: O Estado de S. Paulo
Click here to read the original news report: https://www.estadao.com.br/sao-paulo/porto-de-santos-aposta-em-drone-subaquatico-e-tecnologia-chinesa-contra-o-trafico/

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