The Argentine government has declared maximum alert at border posts with Brazil and ordered the deployment of the Army to reinforce security in the region. The decision, according to RFI, was taken following Operation Contenção, carried out by Rio de Janeiro’s security forces against Comando Vermelho in Rio de Janeiro. The mega-operation, which involved 2,500 police officers, left 121 people dead, four of them security force agents.
During an interview at the Casa Rosada, Security Minister Patricia Bullrich stated that the measure aims to prevent criminals who might attempt to cross into Argentine territory from entering. “I will issue maximum alert at the borders so that there is no crossing into Argentine territory by those who are evidently moving away from the center of the conflict in Rio de Janeiro,” she declared.
Reinforced inspections and cooperation with neighboring countries
According to Bullrich, the alert implies rigorous inspections of all Brazilians entering Argentina. “This maximum alert means looking with four eyes at all Brazilians coming to Argentina, checking if they have criminal records or not, but without confusing tourists with Comando Vermelho members,” she highlighted.
The minister also sent a letter to the Ministry of Defense requesting military reinforcement at the border based on the so-called “stampede theory,” according to which, when cornered, criminal groups seek refuge in other countries. She also ordered intensified cooperation with Brazilian and Paraguayan police forces for information exchange and joint actions.
Troops, armored vehicles, and helicopters sent to Misiones
Defense Minister Luis Petri confirmed the deployment of troops to the province of Misiones, on the border with the Brazilian states of Paraná, Santa Catarina, and Rio Grande do Sul. “We will send Army control and surveillance teams to reinforce the border with Brazil. It is essential to protect Argentines from the ‘stampede’ mentioned by the Security Minister. They are narco-terrorists with military firepower, using armed drones,” Petri said in an interview with A24 channel.
The military actions will focus mainly on the Triple Frontier, between Puerto Iguazú (Argentina), Foz do Iguaçu (Brazil), and Ciudad del Este (Paraguay). The plan includes deploying armored vehicles, helicopters, military trucks, and cyberdefense units, as well as aerial operations and surveillance.
Brazilian factions declared terrorist organizations
Minister Bullrich confirmed that Comando Vermelho and Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) have been officially classified as terrorist organizations in Argentina. The decision was made in early October, and the two factions were added to the Public Registry of Persons and Entities Linked to Acts of Terrorism (REPET), under the Ministry of Justice.
“There are 39 Brazilians imprisoned in Argentina, five of whom belong to Comando Vermelho and seven or eight to PCC. We have very strict control over them, and they are isolated so they have no power,” Bullrich stated, according to the report. The minister also criticized the Brazilian prison system. “We do not agree with the theory of coexisting with drug trafficking. In Brazil, there are prisons where judges cannot enter because they are controlled by traffickers.”
Alignment with the US
Bullrich also stated that the Brazilian factions have links to international terrorism, citing the 2023 arrest of Brazilians recruited by the Lebanese group Hezbollah. “They had the entire internal structure of the PCC that helped the terrorists. That is why we declared this organization narco-terrorist,” she explained.
In August, the Argentine government had already declared Venezuela’s Cartel dos Sóis a terrorist organization, aligning with the US decision. Earlier this month, the Ecuadorian factions Los Choneros and Los Lobos also received the same classification.
Bolivia’s president-elect also demands border reinforcement after operation against faction in Rio
Bolivia’s president-elect, Rodrigo Paz, requested on Thursday (30) that the government of Luis Arce take immediate measures to reinforce security at the borders with Brazil. The request comes after a major police operation in Rio de Janeiro that resulted in over 120 deaths and targeted the Comando Vermelho (CV) faction.
“Bolivia cannot allow criminal infiltration,” says Paz
In a statement, according to CNN Brasil, the president-elect said it is necessary to act firmly to protect the Bolivian State. “Bolivia cannot allow foreign criminal structures to infiltrate its territory or compromise the security of the State. The country demands coordination, responsibility, and firmness,” he declared.
In the statement, Paz urges the Arce government to adopt all necessary control and security measures to prevent the entry of members of criminal organizations from Brazil. The text also mentions the “recent serious episodes of violence in Rio de Janeiro” and states that border protection must be treated as a national priority, above any political differences.
Fontes: Agência Brasil & brasil247.com