A territorial dispute between rival drug trafficking factions in Duque de Caxias, a city in Rio de Janeiro's Baixada Fluminense metropolitan region, has left more than ten people dead since early August, according to reporting by Brazilian outlet g1. The fighting pits traffickers based in the Pantanal favela against a rival faction controlling the nearby Corte Oito community, and has included drone-dropped grenades and killings attributed to what is known locally as the tribunal do trafico, an informal execution carried out by gang members against suspected informants.
The first death in the current wave was recorded on August 8 in Pantanal, a community controlled by the Terceiro Comando Puro faction. Since then, 11 men have been killed, most of them believed by investigators to have been linked to drug trafficking. According to g1, seven attacks by the rival Comando Vermelho faction against Pantanal resulted in ten deaths of suspected rival gang members. An eleventh victim is believed to have been killed by his own allies, accused of passing information to the enemy side.
On August 17, a resident was shot in the head while walking home from church with his son, becoming a bystander casualty of the conflict. Civilians in the area had already been hit before: in July, an elderly woman was shot in the back on Rua Venancio Adres, in the Vila Leopoldina area near the disputed territory.
Drone attacks and retaliation
On Sunday, August 23, grenades were dropped by drone on the Corte Oito community, which is controlled by Jonatha Hyrval Cassiano da Silva, known as Bochecha Rosa. Witnesses told g1 the attack was retaliation for deaths on the rival side. Jonatha, currently a fugitive, was previously filmed by Globo's Fantastico program carrying an anti-drone bazooka in the Complexo da Penha favela in Rio's North Zone, considered a headquarters for the Comando Vermelho faction. He faces investigations for robbery, homicide, and involvement with organized crime and drug trafficking.
The conflict has also disrupted public services in the area. According to the Duque de Caxias city government, four public schools had activities affected by the clashes or police operations: one daycare center had to activate its security protocol on three separate days, and at least two schools suspended activities on two days each. The Pantanal health clinic closed its doors on August 18 and suspended outreach activities on three days over a one-week span.
Contacted by g1, Rio's Military Police said its 15th Battalion, responsible for Duque de Caxias, maintains ongoing patrols on foot, in vehicles and on motorcycles, adjusted according to criminal activity in the area. The Civil Police said the homicides are being investigated by the Baixada Fluminense Homicide Division, and that the region's narcotics unit carries out daily intelligence work and arrests aimed at curbing the factions' activity.