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How America Created A Gun-Happy Gangster’s Paradise In Brazil

How America created a gun-happy gangster’s paradise in Brazil

Thousands of made-in-America weapons are pouring into Brazil and landing straight into the hands of gangsters every day, and the U.S. is failing miserably at stemming the flood.

According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes, Brazil is home to roughly 8 million illegal weapons, more than half of which were smuggled from the U.S. The latest U.N.-sponsored report suggests that a little under 20,000 American weapons enter Brazil each year.

Rio de Janeiro, one of the most dangerous cities on the planet

In Rio de Janeiro, local authorities believe that around 4,000 new illegal weapons arrive in the city each day. About a quarter of those are assault rifles, according to Christiano, a high-ranking Military Police commander in Rio de Janeiro who oversees operations to capture illegal guns off the streets.

“Once these weapons cross our national borders, we almost have no way to capture these guns before they end up in the wrong people’s hands,” Christiano said.

The consequences of this crisis are severe. In Rio de Janeiro, one of the most dangerous cities on the planet, murder rates have been skyrocketing, from 925 in 2016 to 1,814 in 2019, the AP reported. The majority of those murders involve the use of smuggled firearms. In fact, corruption is so rampant in the city that gangs are able to buy off workers in order to let their cargo enter Brazil easily. Once these weapons are unloaded, they are funneled through the country to other gang-controlled areas, mostly in São Paulo, Fortaleza, and the state of Amazonia, Christiano explained.

How illicit weapons trade functions

In order to understand how the illicit weapons trade functions, one has to see it as a global business with many different actors and consumers, spreading its tentacles from various points of origins, mostly within our borders to their final destination in Mexico, Paraguay, and Brazil. Arms dealers will go to great lengths to protect their macabre business, securing trade routes often stretching from one continent to the next, creating constant flows of weapons and ammunition to our Southern neighbors.

Two main trade routes exist today. Both originate from America’ southern states, which produce a staggering amount of firearms each year. Today, roughly 393 million guns are held within U.S. borders. The ATF, on the other hand, has little idea how many of these weapons leave American shores to be resold illegally to Mexico, Central America, and South America. In fact, the ATF “does not maintain a federal gun registry, therefore, records are not kept on the sales of firearms, private sales or individual purchasers,” a spokesperson told ABC News.

Criminal Brazilians with US passports

In March 2019, HSI was tipped off by their Brazilian counterparts about a weapon-smuggling ring that was exporting assault rifles and ammo to São Paulo from the United States. So alarming was the efficiency of the arrival of these weapons into the hands of various gangs like Comando Vermelho (Red Command), or Amigos dos Amigos, that the Brazilian government coordinated its efforts with the DEA. As a result, key members of a major criminal organization were arrested, all Brazilians holding U.S. passports.

The ex-ATF agent, Anarumo, explained that a strategy similar to Barbieri’s is employed by cartels and gangs from Mexico to Brazil.

It’s simple. First, the criminal organization will contact their associates already in the U.S., holding American passports. Once they receive their orders, the stringers will go to Florida, Arizona, New Mexico, or Texas, where it’s easy to buy handguns and assault rifles. Once the purchase is made at local stores, some of these weapons will be dismantled, hidden away in creative containers like refrigerator filters, and driven to Miami. Then, once these weapons are loaded in containers and onto ships, some go straight to South America, while a small minority are directed towards Haiti and the Dominican Republic to supply gangs operating on Hispaniola, which has become a major hub for illicit drugs and weapons smuggling.

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Gov Bago signs Executive Order on Niger Green Economy

Governor Umaru Bago of Niger State has signed an Executive Order on the Green Economy.

The Executive order which was titled ‘the Niger State Green Economy Initiative Order (No.3), 2023’ provides that the Green Economy Initiative shall be driven by the State Blueprint that details the strategic pillars and outlines the strategic key performance indicators, targets and timelines of the transition into a green economy.

Also enshrined in the Order, Niger State Government shall produce a State-Wide Land Use and Economic Development Plan to guide investment decisions and ensure investments that would stabilise the green transition are properly coordinated and planned.

The Order further directed all the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the State to adhere strictly to the initiative, adding that appropriate sanction will be carried out on any violator of the Executive Order.

Singing the Executive Order shortly before the commencement of the weekly State Executive Council (SEC) Meeting at the Council Chambers, Government House, Minna, Governor Bago explained that the Executive Order was to ensure the effective implementation of the Green Economy Policy.

Governor Bago appreciated Media Practitioners for the wide coverage given to his administration and encouraged them not to relent.

Recall that the Present administration initiated the Green Economy Policy, and hosted the first summit on initiative with the view to turn around the economy of the State and engender socio-economic development.

According to the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Bologi Ibrahim, “With the signing of Executive Order Three, the initiative has come to stay and its implementation is sacrosanct.”
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COP28: President Tinubu Meets King Charles in Dubai

President Bola Tinubu on Thursday met with King Charles III of England in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Both of them are in the country to participate in the United Nations Climate Conference known as COP28 taking place in the Emirati city.

Tinubu posted a message on his X account, on the meeting, describing the king as passionate climate advocate.

He posted: “I had a productive meeting with His Majesty, King Charles III of England who is also the Head of the Commonwealth, and a passionate climate advocate.

“The meeting was a significant step in strengthening the partnership between Nigeria and the United Kingdom, and I am optimistic about the positive impact our joint efforts will have on our planet’s future as we look forward to setting an equitable global standard for environmental stewardship at COP28.”
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Police Rescue Abducted Plateau Pastor, Three Others in Bauchi

Operatives of the Nigerian Police, Bauchi State Command have rescued four kidnapped victims including a pastor. 

The victims were kidnapped by bandits who invaded Raddi village via Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State on Wednesday, November 29.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Ahmed Wakil, a Superintendent of Police, disclosed this in a statement made available to journalists.

Wakil said the bandits had stormed the house of one Yakubu Makeri, of Yagi village via Rahama ward, to attack him but a team of operatives attached to Rishi Police Divisional Headquarters in conjunction with local vigilantes swiftly moved to the scene and engaged the bandits in a gun battle.

The statement read, “On November 29, 2023, at about 1am, one sabitu ‘m’ of Kadade village via Toro LGA of Bauchi State reported that on the same date at about 12.30am, an unknown number of bandits invaded their village and stormed the house of one Yakubu Ya’u Makeri, male, of Yagi village via Rahama ward.

“A team of operatives attached to Rishi Police Divisional Headquarters in conjunction with local vigilantes swiftly moved to the scene and engaged the bandit.

“The operatives overpowered the bandits in a gun duel. As a result, one of the bandits was neutralised while the remaining scampered and abandoned their mission.

“However, during the encounter, the operatives succeeded in rescuing three kidnapped victims, namely: Pastor Bala, male (50), Keziya Ayuba (50) and Sunday Ayuba, (40) all of Raddi village via Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State.

“The aforementioned victims were confirmed to have been kidnapped from their village in Jos, Plateau State.”

Wakil stated that the Commissioner of Police has ordered the Divisional Police Officer to intensify wider patrol across the area in a bid to arrest the fleeing bandits so they can face the full wrath of the law.

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