Reuters AlertNet Lite - Rio gang kills, dismembers 7 as drug war escalates

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Rio gang kills, dismembers 7 as drug war escalates

26 Jan 2007 13:20:04 GMT
Source: Reuters

RIO DE JANEIRO, Jan 26 (Reuters) - The mutilated bodies of seven youths, some with their heads and legs chopped off, were found in an abandoned car in a notorious Rio de Janeiro slum, police said on Friday.

The youths appeared to be the latest victims of a long-running drug war that has made Rio, which depends heavily on tourism, one of the most violent cities in the world.

Police said the victims were on their way to play soccer when armed gang members, possibly choosing them at random, stopped the minibus they were traveling in, dragged them from the vehicle and forced them to a nearby shantytown.

A 17-year-old managed to escape, and was able to alert police. The rest were tortured before being shot at point-blank range and mutilated by their captors. Only one of the victims was over the age of 18. The youngest victim was 14 years old.

Police believe the youths may have got caught up in a turf war between drug gangs in the Vila do Joao and Morro do Adeus favelas, as shantytowns are known here.

"Those two favelas are battling for control of the drug trafficking in the region," said Jader Amaral, the police chief in charge of the area.

The killings took place as authorities scrambled to crack down on drug gangs and rein in crime before Rio's famed Carnival festivities in mid-February, which attract tourists from all around the globe.

Six suspected gang members and two police officers were killed in shootouts on Wednesday and Thursday when state and federal security forces raided the Vila Cruzeiro slum on the northern fringe of the city.

Last week, the federal government sent 500 troops from the paramilitary National Public Security Force to Rio at the request of the state's new Gov. Sergio Cabral, who took office on Jan. 1 promising to crack down on organized crime.

In all, some 6,000 troops from the national force are expected to be deployed to Rio in the coming months to boost security when the city hosts the Pan American Games in July.

Violent crime has long been a huge problem in large Brazilian cities like Rio, where the poor live in hillside shantytowns overlooking ritzy seaside apartment buildings.

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Last updated:Fri Jan 26 13:20:42 2007