Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | Inside the World’s Most Dangerous Cities (Documentary)

it is a typical Friday night in the

suburbs of Rio De

Janeiro the emergency ward of this

hospital is

overwhelmed a man shot and wounded has

just been

admitted he was shot in the

[Music]

thigh Philipe the surgeon must examine

him as soon as possible

the doctor remains calm under all

circumstances he's used to receiving

such victims he's been working here for

5

[Music]

years

for the victim is still in

shock the case of this young man is not

unusual in 2020 nearly 400 gunshot

wounds were treated in this hospital it

happens so often that there are a

policeman on duty 24 hours a day

collecting statements from

[Music]

patients

after an hour of waiting results of the

X-ray come

in

[Applause]

[Music]

for a bloody war over drugs that pits

the police against drug dealers but also

between rival gangs who fight over

territories Rio de Janeiro the beautiful

city with its mythical beaches

Copacabana and

Ipanema

behind this idilic image poverty is

getting worse every day hundreds of

people live on the streets as a result

danger is everywhere theft armed

robberies

[Music]

kidnapping there are 7 million

inhabitants and almost 10 homicides a

day as a result more and more men and

women are taking up arms to defend

themselves

citizens are encouraged by President ja

bolsonaro a great supporter of firearms

and of a severe anti-drug policy

cannabis cocaine and crack of the most

consumed drugs in Rio in the faas that

engulf the city police and Drug gangs

Clash without

Mercy

collateral victims of this Urban War are

inhabitants of low-income neighborhoods

the

[Laughter]

faas dive into the daily life of an

ultraviolent

[Music]

City CH headquarters is in the heart of

Rio an elite unit of the military police

to stay motivated they recite their

Warrior Anthem every

[Applause]

morning nearly 1,000 highly prepared and

heavily armed soldiers recruited from

among the best their career only lasts

15 years as they have to be in top

physical condition leftenant Pedro Paulo

leads a platoon of about 100

men tonight they're going on patrol to a

high danger

area two criminals have just been shot

by the police the Elite Squad must go to

the scene to help and prevent

retaliation a last prayer for every time

they go to action the soldiers of the

chalk risk their lives to mitigate

danger men in the field are supervised

from a control and intelligence

room

the left tenant knows the territory of

the drug dealers like the back of his

hand each color corresponds to a

gang

as an exception our team was allowed to

accompany a chalk Patrol they no longer

allow journalists on the ground since a

cameraman was shot dead in 2011 while

covering an operation in a

FAA he was filming a shootout between

the police and the criminals until he

was hit by a bullet in the chest he fell

to the ground with his camera in his

hand a second camera crew filmed him

from another

[Music]

angle

the platoon is going to drive through

Northern parts of the

[Music]

city sold for € a dose crack here is

taking its toll but tonight drugs are

not the left tenant's

priority the policemen are alerted by

strange behavior from a driver who was

speeding and driving the wrong

way the suspect is

searched his car two inside and

out the police police are looking for

firearms

the patrol carries on the night ahead of

them is long they'll be searching the

area

[Music]

thoroughly for The Police Every biker in

a fava is a suspect

ECT after all traffickers also travel by

motorbike but once again nothing to

report

here a quiet night for the elite

unit when

suddenly the left tenant sees a man with

a gun standing at the end of an

[Music]

alley

one of the soldiers leading the platoon

opens fire he saw the suspect pointing

his weapon at

him the Chase Begins in the heart of the

FAA residents are trying to get to

safety and understand what's going

on these situations are not new to them

they fear a

shootout shots could be fired from

anywhere with this in mind the policemen

are an easy

target

it was the dealer of this Outlet who

shot at

them

all the potential accomplices are

searched Pedro Paulo and his men are

convinced that the trafficker is not far

away the search

continues the faas in karioka are like

labyrinths it's ideal for criminals to

escape and a real danger for the

police

tonight the police almost caught the

criminal that's not always the case when

they find themselves face to face the

clash between traffickers and policemen

escalates into a

gunfight these shootouts take place in

alleys and even in the air it's not

uncommon for helicopters to be called to

action drug trafficking was established

in Rio in the 1980s today three gangs

fight for the city's territories the TCP

the Ada and the most famous of them all

L Commando

Velo present in more than half of the

filers cannabis cocaine and synthetic

drugs these gangs distribute their drugs

in the

slums and in the beautiful

[Music]

neighborhoods crack is the most common

drug for the poor it's a very lucrative

Market that allows traffickers to

heavily arm themselves

[Music]

Rio is a gigantic Metropolis that is

constantly expanding more than 800 Filas

are spread throughout the city

accounting for 20% of the

population in these areas where the

state is absent it is the traffickers

who make the

law we were allowed to accompany the

chalk on an anti-drug operation in a

faila in the west of the city

Sergeant Giovani is on the trail of a

large shipment he's received the

information that it is in this

area displaced train tracks speed bu

bumps and obstacles to go around

everything is done to slow down the

progress of the police for here we are

in the TCP headquarters one of the three

gangs operating in the

city

has been a member of the chalk for 14

years and knows perfectly well how

things in this fava

[Music]

work according to him even a seemingly

quiet young man could be a spotter or a

drug

dealer that could lead them to leaders

of the drug

trade a false lead the teenager had

nothing on him but the sergeant will

continue his search he is convinced that

he will find drugs here every move one

of these policemen makes is covered by

his colleague snipers could be hidden on

the

[Music]

roofs a permanent facility where drugs

are dealt in plain sight like any other

business

for

a few blocks away in the same favilla

the rest of the unit got their hands on

The Wanted cargo they seize more than

100 kilg of cannabis worth €75,000

the TCP proudly displays its name on on

the drug packets to Mark its territory

cannabis is the most widely consumed

drug in

[Music]

Brazil members of the TCP approached us

in a favila they control 30 minutes from

the tourist beaches north of the city

[Music]

center

pistols and military rifles these young

people are facing 6 to 10 years in

prison for illegally carrying large

caliber weapons their designated enemy

is the

[Music]

police

[Music]

hatred that runs deep in both camps each

death is a pretext for retaliation and

interventions that end up getting out of

hand inhabitants of the Filas are taken

hostage in the midst of this war over

drugs we now go to a faila in the north

of the city here another gang is in

charge the Commando feo the red

Commando it's the most powerful gang in

Rio we're allowed to film a drug selling

point here drugs are sold in the middle

of the street without any shame here

cannabis is on the table some consumers

even roll their joints on the spot there

are also hard drugs

bought at €3,000 a kilo cocaine from

Colombia Peru and Bolivia is sold for

twice that price by these

[Music]

traffickers just next to it is the table

of a man who calls himself the

accountant in these bags full of notes

are the earnings of the

evening

a profitable business with all the

outlets in the faila The Gang boasts

That it earns €100,000 a month and that

it can even help the local

inhabitants guys

these young traffickers are barely 20

years old they're paid €500 a month to

sell and protect the goods it's a small

fortune in this country twice as much as

the minimum

wage

[Music]

foree gangs and the police play a

constant game of cat and

mouse in Rio there are those who chase

the traffickers and those who defend

them Flavia frees is a criminal lawyer

she defends the biggest drug dealers

tonight she is going to conduct her own

investigation into a homicide case

involving the leader of the Commando

familial gang who has been in prison for

25

[Music]

years

[Music]

[Music]

her client is accused of ordering a

double murder from his cell convinced of

his innocence she goes to a faila to

gather information about the

crime

we filmed discreetly so that our camera

is not spotted from the street this

faila is one of the strongholds of the

Commando familo the gang controls all

movement entrances and exits on its

territory Flavia has a permit which

comes from above she says here too

merchandise and weapons are on

[Music]

display

the traffickers that the lawyer is

meeting tonight are the henchmen of her

imprisoned

clients

for she works with all the gangs in Rio

all the major drug traffickers she's

defended hundreds of them in Trials she

says she's won three times out of four

flavia's client remains active even from

behind bars he controls his men and

gives

orders

for

spee

spee

[Music]

gameeee

for a real war arsenal manufactured in

the United States and Europe these

weapons are transported through Paraguay

and arrive in Brazil by land in Rio a

machine gun is sold for about €10,000 on

the Underground

maret

for

foree

for these men are between 18 and 35

years old they're ready to kill and die

to defend their territory and their drug

trade the government's War on Drugs

Flavia says is totally

useless

[Music]

for

Flav was 24 when she first defended a

drug dealer as a court appointed lawyer

she won the case since then she's become

a well-known figure in the

[Music]

field today she no longer takes on a

case for less than

50,000 with her team she continues to

work tirelessly on the same murder case

that incriminated Commando vero's

leader her client is accused of ordering

a double murder involving torture in 19

1996 according to the lawyer the charge

doesn't make sense the two murderers

have already been acquitted and there is

another

contradiction that's not the only case

Flavia has to defend the the leader of

Commando familio

on in the heart of Rio the court of

justice heels and tight dresses are her

signature look for All

Occasions lawyer flavier fres is now

defending the gang's leader in another

case from

2014

once again he is accused of ordering a

murder from his prison

cell her client's a local celebrity a

book's even been written about his life

he's been behind bars for 25 years

clavia is the only lawyer in Rio who

defends big-time traffickers from any

gang even rival

ones

[Music]

today Flav is going to prevent him from

serving another 60 years in prison we

were not able to record the

proceedings

[Music]

two hours later the verdict is

[Applause]

given she won her case and the family is

delighted but flavier is not done with

the head of Commando FAMU she's still

defending him on another four murder and

conspiracy cases he still has 5 years to

go in

prison fighting drug traffickers is an

obsession for the karaa authorities

having been mobilized for several years

to to fight in the faas the Rio police

have abandoned these neighborhoods as a

result the number of robberies and acts

of crime has

skyrocketed scenes of armed robbery such

as this one have become more common

in the middle of the day here A man was

robbed of his motorbike in a couple of

seconds not even beaches are safe

so-called Aristo thefts of a large scale

dozens of criminals snatch everything in

their path they chase people out to

seea thieves are also operating on

public transport they don't hesitate to

enter through the roof or Through the

Windows

violence even has its own iconic TV show

SED alata City on

[Music]

alert every day the presenter comments

sometimes in real time on news events

shown in video sent in by

viewers

in this environment of increasing crime

more and more citizens have decided to

defend

themselves but

that Regina can't handle this

environment of fear

anymore you

this retired shopkeeper is like all

kocas constantly on alert to avoid the

worst

she's so scared that when she has to go

to an area she doesn't know she only

takes a

taxi

this taxi driver has already experienced

dozens of cases of this

kind even at home the Karas feel in

danger so they barricade their homes the

facades of buildings and houses look

like prison doors with barbed wire

fences and cameras

in this middle class residential area

like all her neighbors Regina has turned

her house into a fortress thanks to a

very sophisticated surveillance

system

the fact that this young retiree spends

almost a hundred EUR a month on this

technology means that there is a growing

danger her neighbors have already paid

the

price

in case the burglar still managed to get

in Regina wants to be prepared to defend

her

herself she's been practicing at this

shooting

range for the last 6 months she's

applied for a gun

permit for

foree

spee

Regina never thought she'd have to arm

herself at the age of 60 she's driven by

fear frustration and the feeling that no

one can escape this violence Luciana the

shooting instructor was 22 years old

when she was a victim

herself

for

B

since coming to office in January 2019

president jaier bolsonaro has proudly

displayed his fondness for firearms even

among

[Music]

children this gesture imitating a gun

has become his

trademark he has made gun ownership laws

more lenient the number of registered

guns has doubled in the past two

[Applause]

years new rules and a new decree that

allows any citizen without criminal

history or psychiatric disorders to own

up to four Firearms as opposed to only

two before and to buy up to 1,200 rounds

of ammunition per month per gun compared

to 50 before the bonaro presidency

represents an aggressive defense of arms

and an uncomp compromising anti-drug

policy no matter what the cost even if

it means killing innocent people May the

6th 2021 the whole country was in shock

the deadliest raid in the city's history

took place in the jareno faila at 6:00

a.m. the footage made the rounds on TV

and social networks the police were

looking for 21 traffickers suspected of

recruiting miners into their ranks the

intervention ended in a bloodb

250 police were deployed with

helicopters to support

them in this footage a resident is

filming the start of the operation from

the

roof

[Music]

the operation went on all day in alleys

and in homes of people where the

traffickers had hidden the operation was

nicknamed The jareno Massacre by the

Brazilian

[Music]

press

28 residents and one police officer died

among the civilian victims only three

were on the list of suspects wanted that

day the UN condemned the operation and

criticized the disproportionate use of

force president bolsonaro congratulated

the police on

Twitter

almost 6 months after the tragedy the

inhabitants of jaar Ando are trying to

get their lives back to normal today

it's the neighborhood Fair memories of

the police operation are still very

fresh these mothers and wives of victims

are not letting go they complain about a

series of exactions Danielle mother of

two children lost a husband he was 32

years old and a construction

worker

[Music]

for

for in addition to their G these mothers

now feel

[Music]

humiliated in the families hatred

followed sadness Danielle's son is now 8

years

old

Adriana lost her 23-year-old son he was

a motorbike taxi driver in

[Music]

the

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the investigation is stagnant for the

moment the police operation in jarano

has become a symbol of a brutal police

force operating with impunity in Rio in

the faas at least one operation takes

place every day the inhabitants are

regularly taken hostage in between the

[Music]

shootings to Simply live and get around

has become dangerous in Rio de Janeiro

12 children were killed by stray bullets

in

[Music]

2020 this morning a disturbingly

ordinary scene in a workingclass

neighborhood in Northern

Rio

[Music]

spee

this family Mourns the death of a father

who had no record killed by a stray

bullet at the bottom of the FAA where he

[Music]

lived the victim was working at a gas

station he was on his way to work at

6:00 a.m. and found himself in the

middle of a shootout between a gang and

[Music]

police he left behind two children and

his

wife every month an average of 10 people

are hit by stray bullets in Rio and its

suburbs the consequences of a drug war

that's becoming more and more deadly

every

[Music]

day avoiding mistakes is the biggest

challenge for police today at least

that's what they claim once a month

soldiers of the truck the elite unit

carry out shooting

exercises with real bullets they

simulate a shooting situation in a

favilla the men have to increase their

Precision On Target to avoid collateral

victims

all of these Elite police officers have

come close to death at some point during

an

operation

in 2020 65 policemen died on duty in the

state of

Ry

these Elite policemen must be in top

physical shape in all aspects this

morning they're perfecting their

hand-to-hand combat

techniques under all circumstances

police officers carry at least one gun

on their belt even when they're on

holiday traffickers know this the first

thing they try to steal from them during

an

attack if these men train regularly it's

because their opponents often practice

martial arts a very popular sport in Rio

the police must Master these defense

techniques to Perfection it's a question

of

survival

the chalk soldiers even have a technique

created especially for

them

much needed skill as 75% of the Rio

police officers killed since 2016 have

been killed off duty at a time when they

are least armed least attentive and

least protected Rio a city where

violence can strike anywhere at any

time in complexo do Alama one of the

biggest failers in Rio Police Operations

are common here everyone is afraid of

them even the

[Music]

children Esther is a teacher in this

Association that offers free dance

classes to young people in the

[Music]

[Applause]

neighborhood