Rio de Janeiro Prison Search Seizes 30 Cell Phones from TCP Members

Authorities seized 30 cell phones during a search at the Jonas Lopes de Carvalho Prison (Bangu 4) in the western zone of Rio de Janeiro on Thursday. The operation targeted leaders and members of the Terceiro Comando Puro (TCP) as part of Operação Illicitus, an initiative by the State Secretariat of Penal Police (Seppen) to stop the entry of drugs and mobile phones into state prisons. Agents searched cells starting at 7:40 a.m. while detainees waited on a football field; the search also included the central gateway. Many devices were hidden, including two found in a styrofoam box under a plastic bag and two others hidden in a camouflaged hole in a cell wall. This action is part of an intensified cycle of searches since August that has resulted in the seizure of 567 cell phones and approximately 8 kg of drugs across state prisons. A separate action on Monday at the Paulo Roberto Rocha Public Jail (Bangu C), which holds members of the Comando Vermelho (CV), led to the seizure of 64 devices. Additionally, 11 visitors were arrested by body scanners for attempting to smuggle prohibited materials, and two penal police officers were detained. The operation involves Seppen's Operational and Intelligence subsecretariats and the General Internal Affairs Office.