The prison system of Rio de Janeiro may be about to witness the emergence of a new criminal faction. A dissidence of the People of Israel (PVI) began organizing inside the prisons of Rio de Janeiro after the death of the leader of the original faction, Avelino Gonçalves Lima, 54 years old, last year. The new group was named First Command of the Coup and could become the fifth criminal organization in the state.
The movement has already caused conflicts in prisons, with reports of gallery fires, beatings, and death threats among inmates. The confrontations indicate an internal dispute within the prison system that may intensify with the consolidation of the new group.
In an attempt to curb the advance of the new faction, the State Secretariat of Prison Police (Seppen) mobilized the intelligence sector of the department to identify the inmates involved in the movements. The department is applying disciplinary and security measures, including isolation of prisoners identified as participants in the new group.
The People of Israel faction was born inside prisons and, unlike other criminal organizations, does not control territories outside the walls of the prisons. With the death of its leader and the subsequent dissidence, the balance of power within the prison system of Rio de Janeiro may be about to change significantly.
