Armed Forces to Remain at Port of Santos

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva opted to prolong the deployment of the Armed Forces in ports and airports across Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo states for an additional 30 days, extending the measure until June 4, 2024. This decision means that marines will continue their patrols in the Port of Santos.

The measure, initially set to expire last Friday (3), has been in effect since November 6 last year and involves a force of 3,700 Armed Forces personnel, directly engaged in public security efforts against organized crime. The decree announcing the extension was published in an extra edition of the Official Gazette of the Union.

According to a report released by the Federal Government, since the inception of the coordinated security operations, approximately 172.3 tons of narcotics, 282 firearms, and over 3,100 individuals have been apprehended. Additionally, 11.2 thousand vessel inspections and 107.6 thousand cargo inspections have been conducted.

To grasp the importance of the Port of Santos, one has to know that it is the busiest in South America. The chart below shows maritime imports and exports of containers handled at the port. The information was derived from DataLiner.

Container Exp & Imp | Port of Santos | Jan 2021 – Mar 2024 | TEUs

Source: DataLiner (click here to request a demo)

 Joint Decision

The decision by the president was supported by an opinion co-signed by the Ministers of Justice and Public Security, Ricardo Lewandowski, and Defense, José Múcio Monteiro, with concurrence from the Minister of Ports and Airports, Silvio Costa Filho.

This legal move, known as Guarantee of Law and Order (GLO in Portuguese), allows the Federal Government to deploy the Armed Forces, Federal Police, and Federal Highway Police to carry out actions not only at the Port of Santos but also at ports in Rio de Janeiro and Itaguaí, as well as at Galeão Airport in Rio and Guarulhos Airport in São Paulo. However, the GLO is applicable only within federal jurisdictions.

Costs

The expenditure on daily and operational costs amounted to R$ 215.6 million, distributed among the Federal Police (R$ 3.2 million), National Force (R$ 1.5 million), Armed Forces (R$ 182 million), and Federal Highway Police (R$ 28 million).

“The proposal to extend the anti-organized crime operation takes into account the pending completion of certain measures and the assessment of the positive outcomes achieved by all involved agencies,” stated the Ministry of Justice and Public Security in a communique.

The Ministry further emphasized that “the intelligence gathered and the enhanced intelligence activities represent a lasting contribution to public security management in the country, benefiting Brazilian citizens.”

Source: A Tribuna

Click here to read the original news text: https://www.atribuna.com.br/noticias/portomar/forcas-armadas-continuarao-no-porto-de-santos

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