Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said Wednesday he is sending the armed forces to boost security at some of the country’s most important airports, ports and international borders as part of an integrated operation to combat organized crime.
The president signed a decree to strengthen ports and airports with military security forces, in a bid to tackle rising crime.
Brazil will mobilize members of the army, navy and air force to monitor the international airports in Rio and Sao Paulo, as well as two maritime ports in Rio and Sao Paulo’s Santos port, the busiest in Latin America.
Specifically, the measures will be focused to the Sao Paulo state port of Santos, Latin America’s busiest container port, the 39th largest port in the world for container handling, and the 35th per ton.
The Port of Itaguai located in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro, which was opened as a deepwater port in 1982, primarily to export alumina and other minerals found in the Minas Gerais region, is also part of the measures taken by the president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
The Rio de Janeiro´s Galeão airport and São Paulo´s airport Guarulhos will also be included in the measures taken.
“We launched today, alongside Minister Flávio Dino and representatives of the Armed Forces, an integrated operation to combat organized crime. The measures include law and order Guarantee Decree restricted to ports and airports. All of this with the action of the Armed Forces in conjunction with the Federal Police,” Lula said in the social media yesterday.
“So we have made the decision to have the federal government participate actively, with all its potential, to get rid of organized crime,” Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva added.
