The Prison Police found 26 cell phones hidden in the walls of the Benjamin de Moraes Prison, located in the Gericinó Complex, in the West Zone of Rio de Janeiro. A large quantity of drugs was also seized during the Friday operation. The prison unit houses Red Command (CV) prisoners.
The inspection is part of Operation Illícitos, which aims to combat organized crime in the state prison system. According to the State Secretariat of Prison Police of Rio de Janeiro, the searches were intensified in August and count on the integrated action of the Operational and Intelligence Sub-Secretariats, as well as the General Inspectorate of the institution.
The objective of the operations is to dismantle communication between members of criminal factions who are imprisoned. The operation aims to interrupt the control these prisoners maintain over criminal activities outside through cell phones.
