SAO PAULO — Brazil’s federal police mentioned Thursday that they arrested two fugitives who escaped a maximum-security jail in northeastern Brazil, bringing a 50-day manhunt to an finish. Authorities additionally detained 14 individuals for serving to the inmates since their getaway.
In February, Rogério Mendonça and Deibson Nascimento turned the primary inmates to ever escape from Brazil’s federal penitentiary system, a supply of embarrassment for each the justice ministry and the police.
The 2 had been had been arrested earlier on Thursday within the Amazon metropolis of Maraba, greater than 1,600 kilometers (995 miles) west of the Mossoro penitentiary the place they had been imprisoned. Authorities mentioned their escape included a dayslong boat journey between the states of Ceara and Para, the place they had been arrested — a journey that’s nonetheless beneath investigation.
“It is a victory for the Brazilian state and Brazil’s safety forces. It exhibits that organized crime is not going to thrive in our nation,” Justice Minister Ricardo Lewandowski mentioned at a information convention within the capital metropolis of Brasilia.
Lewandowski added that the federal police knew Mendonça and Nascimento had been planning to depart Brazil once they had been taken into custody. One other 4 males who had been with them on a bridge had been additionally arrested.
“They had been in a real felony motorcade. We additionally seized three vehicles, a number of weapons,” the minister mentioned. He added that regardless of discovering traces of left-over meals and tracks throughout their search, authorities misplaced the 2 after some time however managed to seek out them due to the work of federal police intelligence brokers.
Mendonça and Nascimento had been transferred to Mossoro in September to serve their sentences that collectively quantity to 155 years in jail. Each are linked with one in every of Brazil’s largest and most harmful crime gangs. They escaped on Feb. 14, setting off a nationwide manhunt that included common updates on Brazilian TV stations.
Whereas on the run, the pair allegedly held a household hostage for days close to the penitentiary, hid on a farm and attacked not less than one individual in a rural space of the town of Barauna within the state of Rio Grande do Norte.
Lewandowski mentioned investigators are trying into attainable assist from locals for the fugitives. He added that the 2 could be despatched again to the Mossoro penitentiary.
Brazilian authorities mentioned in March that Mendonça and Nascimento fled via a gap and used instruments left by staff throughout jail renovation works to chop via a wired fence.
“They had been clearly helped by criminals outdoors (the jail) and had assist from their companions and felony group,” the minister added.
Greater than 600 policemen had been concerned within the manhunt, native authorities mentioned.
Andrei Rodrigues, the pinnacle of Brazil’s federal police, mentioned there was an actual danger of confrontation with the fugitives who had “an assault weapon that was pointed at policemen.”
However “confronted with a tactical group,” they finally surrendered, Rodrigues mentioned.
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