Vast Rio favela drug cartel history that fight trainers trying to counter

Like Hill of Champions on Facebook • Follow Hill of Champions on Twitter

HILL OF CHAMPIONS is a feature documentary following MMA fighters from a Rio favela as they work to help and inspire kids from their community.

This extended post by UGer Santo Amaro details the massive drug dealing environment that the fighters are trying to protect the children from.

A slice of Rio de Janeiro’s drug cartel history…

I am shooting a film on MMA fighters from Rio’s favela’s and although my film is not directly focused on drug cartels it does touch on the subject matter.

My film focuses on a small favela in Rio’s south zone home to a number of well-known champion fighters – all who have worked tirelessly to keep kids from the community away from the violence of drug gang and police brutality/incursions by running a BJJ social project set up in 1997 at the height of the troubles.

Rather than let the research go to waste I thought some of you might find it interesting at least from a historical context.

I want to start by first clearing up any possible misconceptions. The community at the center of the film is a fantastic place and the people incredibly welcoming and friendly – the community has been through hell and back and what follows is a collection of incidents that have not just shaped Rio’s narco-traffic landscape but also are directly relevant to the favela itself. If you want a pure history of Rio’s narco traffic there are far better sources by far more competent researchers than me. Remember, this is periphery research for the subject matters within our film as we are following a young ex-trafficker to his first pro MMA fight against a BOPE cadet.

As these incidents involve drug gangs and violence it will most likely give one impression that’s out of context – similar to forming your entire impression of NYC from watching a documentary about the Mob.

Another important point is historical and socio-political context for the favela situation. This post does not pretend to delve into anything of that nature but before forming a judgement on anything I present you I highly recommend looking into the historical, social and economic context of favelas.

In the favelas most people are working their asses off to make a living. I want to state that it is an extremely low percentage of residents who are in anyway involved in any type of criminal activity at all let alone drug trafficking (although the stigma attached with being from the favela would suggest otherwise – I will touch on that later).

How is this MMA related? Well its not that difficult to put two and two together. In the past young residents would dream of being professional footballers. Whilst this is still the case its becoming increasingly evident that MMA and BJJ are offering more opportunities than football as a way out – both directly and indirectly. I will deal with that in more context later too.

Most drug traffickers join the cartels as a last chance scenario as a way out of poverty and sometimes in retaliation for past injustices by rival gangs or from police brutality. The driving factor however is poverty. Most young kids in areas controlled by drug factions are friends and neighbors with those involved, they see them every day in the streets with walkie talkies, nice clothes, women, guns etc and although unlike the majority of gangs around the world there remains very little direct recruitment, being in and around this environment generates desire. If a young kid sees his 14-year-old friend earning more in a week than his single parent does in a month whilst his belly rumbles, it’s easy to see the lure, especially as the way in might be as simple as running an errand to get soft drinks or hold a bag.

Add to that the influence on the community most drug cartels have. In a place the state has ignored and discarded, they offer a form of policing and internal conflict resolution. They also contribute (in some cases) financially helping people with medical bills or food. For example, in cartel controlled favelas no one dare rob another person’s house. Likewise rape has often mortal penalties. A clear indication of the effectiveness of this is that in favelas occupied by troops petty crime has risen substantially.

As these drug soldiers are often children and adolescents, police actions in which deadly force is used seems counter intuitive but is still the norm.

The average age of kids joining the cartels (boys and girls) in 2012 was 12 years old, and a recent study concluded that members of Rio’s drug cartels have a staggering 40% mortality rate over two years. That is an incredible statistic when you realize that most deaths take place at the hands of the state.

Anyone wanting to know the reality of child soldiers in Rio could do no better than taking a look at the following studies:

•Study by Luke Dowdney from Fight for Peace and Save the Children

•Carvalho and Soares – Youth Crime report

•And the exception book by Janice Pearlman titled FAVELA

What follows is a very simplified rundown of the drug gangs and events that have influenced the favela our film is being shot in.

Part 1 – The Beginnings

Rio’s main drug faction Comando Vemelho (The Red Command – CV) was formed in 1979 when a collection of ordinary convicts and left-wing political prisoners were incarcerated together during the military dictatorship of 1964-1985. As well as originally being a political movement funding itself through nefarious means, they also (like the latest Sao Paulo based cartel The First Capital Command) functioned to promote prisoner rights which at the time were (and still are) appalling, with widespread overcrowding, corruption, and abuse.

Rogério Lemgruber known as RL one of the founding fathers of the Red Command (Pictured centre) has an incredible story. In fact the history of the Red Command CV runs like a mix of the greatest Lee Murray bank heists and prison break films you could ever hope to see. These guys flew helicopters into prison to break other members whilst spraying up banks with gunfire FFS (for the yanks, this is Brit net slang meaning For F@$%’s Sake :-). The film 400 Contra 1 goes into this in some detail (Although I’ve heard the film sucks).

In the early 1980s with the influx of cocaine from Central America the group lost its political ideologies. It quickly became the dominant criminal organisation in Rio taking over from the gambling bosses of old (or at least becoming more infamous – more on the bicos later) and its power grew exponentially.

By the mid-1980s due to internal power struggles within the CV, a new faction called the Amigos dos Amigos (the Friends of Friends – ADA) emerged. The violent rivalry and daily gun battles fought by the two gangs vying for control of Rio’s favelas caused untold carnage.

Alongside these two major drug cartels a number of dominant militias/vigilante groups made up of current and former members of the police, military and fire services were formed. These militias emerged under the premise of fighting drug gangs but quickly evolved into violent criminal factions involved in extortion, kidnapping, murder, and vote fraud with links to politicians and more.

A Crime Boss is Born

Born Marco Antonio Pereira Firmino, “My Thor” was born in the South Zone favela my film is focused on, and joined the drug traffic at a young age. He worked his way up the ranks of the Red Command to become one Rio’s most powerful cartel bosses through a number of complex and bloody incidents, the most significant are outlined below.

The betrayal of Orlando Jogaldor AKA The Player and the creation of the Third Command

Ernaldo Pinto de Medeiros (known as EU) was born into the drug cartels on the hill of Morro do Adeus, a favela in Rio’s Complexo do Alemao (in the North Zone). Working under his father he moved up the ranks, and after his father’s death became second in command to his godfather Orlando Jogador (Orlando the Player) the CV Don of Complexo do Alemao.

Orlando Jogaldor Orlando the Player (pictured above) was the protégé of one of CV’s original founders Rogério Lemgruber known as RL (mentioned at the start of this document). He was an ex professional soccer player and used the proceeds of his illicit activities to fund his own soccer club Social Ramos Clube (still active today).

While Orlando was imprisoned for previous racketeering charges, EU looked after CV operations on the hill, whilst directly reporting to Orlando. EU had made inroads and proved himself to be an intelligent strategist. He was not happy with CV’s continued policy of engaging police in gunfire and bringing attention to their activities.

The Betrayal

There are many variations of the following story so I will recount the most plausible. In 1994, Orlando the Player was released from prison and EU threw a barbecue to welcome him home. The BBQ would become one of the defining moments in Rio’s narco-history, one that would change the landscape of drug cartels in Rio permanently and plunge the city deeper into violence.

EU left the BBQ only to return with heavily armed men. Outnumbering Orlando and his men, who were unarmed and unsuspecting, EU ordered them executed in a hail of machine gunfire. EU concocted a story to hold off suspicion from CV – that BOPE had taken Orlando hostage and were demanding a ransom (Citation needed) and in the meantime he dumped the bodies of the dead men in another North Zone favela.

Once news of the betrayal reached the heads of CV EU was ejected from the organization and a bounty placed on his head.

EU of course knew this would happen, and using his power and influence gained whilst Orlando was in prison, he set up the rival cartel called The Third Command (Terceiro Comando). Using his allegiances and might, he took control of Complexo do Alemao, and implemented a more efficient, business-like approach to the drug trade.

Part 2 – My Thor, the Growth of Influence and a New and Deadly Alliance

My Thor’s power grew quickly. Morro do Santo Amaro was ideally placed for the distribution of cocaine throughout the city of Rio. With the death of Orlando the Player and the ejection of EU the crime lords in prison needed to rely on loyal soldiers to take the war to EU and the TC (Third Command). My Thor began to take orders directly from the top of the CV power structures and as he quickly proved himself in countless battles as his territory and power increased.

The heads of CV tasked him with taking the battle directly to the newly formed TC. He became the right hand man of the cartel’s boss Luiz Fernando da Costa known as Fernandinho Beira-Mar and tit for tat raids, incursions, and assassinations enveloped the favelas.

When Amigos dos Amigos (ADA) broke it’s shaky alliance with CV in the late 1990s, it formed a loose alliance with the TC, forming a formidable super power in the drug cartel structures. Both gangs concentrated their efforts on territory held by their former cohorts the Red Command, in particular the favela complexes of Complexo da Mare and Complexo do Alemao.

EU was captured by authorities in 1996, but before he was captured it is estimated that TC were bringing in U$20M a year in profits. He was imprisoned in Bangu 1, a maximum security penitentiary block in a prison in Parana state that housed all of Rio’s major drug lords. It is reported that he ordered TC to attack police posts in retribution for his capture both in the favelas and on the asbestos (the city streets) – citation needed.

EU at his trial signing transfer papers for Bellator (jk jk – it was only for WSOF)

Part 3 – The taking of Tavares Bastos, My Thor’s imprisonment, and the Creation of the Pure Third Command

In 1997 two residents of Santo Amaro frustrated by the lack of infrastructure and interest from the state, decided to take matters into their own hands. They were jiu-jitsu practitioners, and they started a BJJ social project in the community to help kids through the martial arts. They saw it as a way to keep the kids off the streets and away from the temptations of the drug gangs, with BJJ as a vehicle towards building self-esteem, determination, work ethic and direction.

By 1998 one of the founders of the social project would lose his life to the drug traffic. By 2010 the other founder would become a MMA champion of the highly regarded japanese Sengoku promotion and become a legend and inspiration to the favela residents. The social project would go on to produce a Bellator champion, a number of MMA prospects (soon to be signed), as well as being the temporary home to a current UFC champion (Get behind the twitter handle and the film for more details).

With the violence escalating, the Brazilian government was still not engaging in any effective policies, instead electing to continue a campaign of execution-style, hit and run incursions carried out primarily by BOPE and the Military police. Along with further marginalizing favela residents, this policy helped to reinforce the long-felt feeling that the state did not care for the poor. It also further escalated the violence, as it caused power vacuums for the warring cartels to fight over.

In 2000 to 2001 the Brazilian Elite tactical unit BOPE took a different tack. They invaded and occupied the favela Tavares Bastos, a favela a stones throw away from Santo Amaro (in My Thor’s backyard). During these battles Santo Amaro was a very tough place to live for residents, with daily gun battles raging in the streets. With CV commanding a hill literally 100 meters from what had become the Headquarters for BOPE in the south zone, you can imagine it was a little precarious.

To give an idea of just how close these two favelas are and how central they are in terms of Rio’s layout check out this this map.

During these intense battles, many residents of the surrounding favelas lost lives. My Thor was captured in 2001 during these same operations, and imprisoned alongside all the heads of the cartels in the maximum security facility in Bangu 1. Santo Amaro remained an active CV stronghold as My Thor commanded his operations from prison.

The pact between TC (Third Command) and the ADA (Friends of Friends) outlined above did not sit well with a TC kingpin who oversaw drug trafficking in the northern cluster of favelas of Complexo da Mare.

Nei da Conceição Cruz

An ADA boss known as Paulo Cesar Silva dos Santos, alias “Linho,” had begun to encroach on his territory. As a result, Nei da Conceição Cruz, alias “Facão” became increasingly frustrated with the allegiance EU had brokered between TC and ADA. He split from the TC in 2002, creating his own organization dubbing it The Pure Third Command (Terceiro Comando Puro – TCP) and declaring war on both the TC and ADA. (Because he was a nutter LOL)

Facão’s group remained a relatively minor player until September 2002, when the CV carried out a devastating series of hits on the TC’s imprisoned leadership bringing the once-mighty TC/ADA alliance to its knees in one fell swoop.

Part 4 – A massacre in Bangu 1 – Revenge, corruption and the beheading of EU

(I have tried to be accurate but many aspects are hard to nail down due mostly to a language barrier – so please correct me if you know better)

Maximum security penitentiary Bangu 1

With the heads of all the major factions now in jail the streets appeared to be no safer than before. The prison facility Bangu 1 housed the inmates who were cordoned off by large concrete divisions depending on their gang affiliation. On one side was the heads of CV whilst in Block D resided the heads of the ADA and the TC. (A number of prominent and more powerful bosses were also present – I did not know how to fit their stories in so left them out)

Fernandinho Beira-Mar the head of CV (pictured bove in blue) had been a personal friend of Orlando the Player and had sworn revenge on EU. Beira-Mar was captured in 2001 in the jungles of Colombia, where he allegedly supplied Colombian rebels with weapons in return for cocaine.

According to tapes obtained by prosecutors, Beira-Mar is capable of sadistic brutality. In a transcript of a 1999 phone call recorded by federal police he commanded a one-hour torture session for and execution of his ex-girlfriends lover where he instructed gang members by phone to cut off the man’s hands, feet and ears with a chainsaw before feeding him his ear and then shooting him five times in the belly.

More wiretapped conversations from prison have been released in which Beira-Mar called for the execution of several rivals and even tried to negotiate the purchase a Stinger anti-aircraft missile using his cell phone from prison.

It is widely reported that in the months leading into the rebellion, Beira-Mar was in a bidding war with prison guards for access to the other cells. It is said that he outbid EU as EU had become an evangelical Christian while in prison and this led to him losing interest in the bidding war. Bad move.

On September 11th 2002 (an exact year after the tragedy of 9/11), Beira-Mar orchestrated his bloody revenge.

When the day arrived CV found access to keys, a shotgun and other weapons (including, reportedly, a grenade?) and they immediately took four guards hostage, plus four contractors who were in the process of carrying out building work. They took the tool of the contractors to use as weapons (including a large mortar hammer) and tied their hostages to gas canisters forming a barrier, in case the prison was stormed by BOPE.

CV then launched an offensive on the section of the prison reserved for the Third Command and the ADA. Once they gained access they set about torturing, butchering, beheading and burning alive key members of the rival cartels. The process was lengthy taking more than 10 hours and Beira-Mar delighted in making EU watch from his cell as one by one they tortured and killed his cohorts (including his brother) before finally going to work on EU.

When the deed was done and EU and his brother were both dead, it is reported the code “The two towers have fallen” was given. EU’s body was found burned to cinders with his head decapitated on a chair next to his brothers – eyed plucked out during the torture.

Some 300 police riot troops surrounded the Bangu 1 wing. Rio de Janeiro State Gov. Benedita da Silva authorized police to storm the prison block, but BOPE kept police at bay (citation needed – not 100% sure if they held off the troops). BOPE wanted CV to do their dirty work before going in and executing the CV bosses but this was never to be, as the press and media watched and questioned live.

This infamous moment in the prison’s history became the subject of Brazil’s highest grossing domestic film, Elite Squad 2.

The scene depicting the Riot is here with Seu Jorge (you may remember him as Knockout Ned in City of God if you do not already know his music).

Negotiators went inside to try to end the rebellion. In reality the lead negotiator for the prisoners with the BOPE task force was none other than My Thor. The prisoners reportedly wanted to be transferred to other prisons, but Benedita da Silva said she would not meet any demands. She announced the firing of warden Ricardo Couto and the suspension of twelve officers suspected of facilitating the rebellion.

This “rebellion” was the single most important moment in Rio’s narco-traffic history – imagine if the Gambinos had wiped out all the other families in one foul televised prison riot? That is basically what took place here, as events unfolded on live TV across Brazil (although no one was aware of the reality inside the prison).

Images from the massacre can be viewed by doing a google image search using the term “Bangu 1” – they are NSFW and show decapitated and mutilated bodies so be advised.

What came out of the massacre was a complete reshaping of Rio’s drug trafficking landscape with CV once again back on top.

With the TC leadership wiped out, the gang’s members defected to more powerful organizations. Local drug bosses who had been affiliated with the TC swore allegiance to either the ADA or Facão, who took advantage of the incident to name his gang the “pure” TC (PTC), or Terceiro Comando Puro.

None of the members of the Bangu 1 massacre have been prosecuted for their actions. Even now. None. LOL.

Like Hill of Champions on Facebook • Follow Hill of Champions on Twitter

Another twitter account worth following is BOPE. Here you will find posts of all the arms, drugs and criminals they capture along with info on their operations.

Here are some examples from the BOPE twitter:

“Small” consignment of marijuana in Complexo da Mar

Huge drug bust in Acari

A goddamn bazooka recovered from operations in Complexo da Maré

A goddamn 50 cal!!

More to follow as we head back to the south zone and learn a bit about UPPs, the favela is invaded by Nationa Force troops and some stuff about corruption and its political beginnings and a bunch of other stuff…

Again – to reiterate – the film is a positive film that does not concentrate solely on the drug trade and is more about overcoming adversity, about community, and about rising up above your means – a true underdog story with the work of MMA fighters as its central theme.

We will have updates from the favela, from the fighters, from production and prizes such as trips to Rio to meet Nova Uniao and signed merchandise and posters etc etc plus opportunity to meet the fighters and the film crew, premiers etc – worth following us really.

Let me just reiterate. We will have prizes including A TRIP FOR TWO TO RIO TO TRAIN WITH AND MEET THE FIGHTERS, TO VISIT THE FAVELA, TO MEET NOVA UNIAO AND TO ATTEND A SHOOTO BRAZIL (OR WOCS) EVENT. ALL FLIGHTS, TRANSPORT AND ACCOMMODATION INCLUDED.

Like Hill of Champions on Facebook • Follow Hill of Champions on Twitter