Operation Ágata – Arco Sul Sudeste 2022, unleashed since May 24 by the Armed Forces in joint actions with municipal, state, and federal Public Safety agencies, came to an end on June 4. The total balance of seizures reached R$ 83.4 million, including 1.2 tons of drugs (cocaine and marijuana), 1.74 thousand packages of smuggled cigarettes, 22 arrests, and R$ 24.2 million in fines and smuggled materials.
This year’s activities were marked by the intensification of patrolling, control and monitoring actions on the border strip, waterways and maritime area of the states of São Paulo (SP) Paraná. This delivery to the Brazilian society culminated in a perception of increased security and presence of the State for 97% of respondents through a direct communication channel (Fale Conosco), made available by the Operation in order to hear the demands of citizens.
Members – In this edition, the operation had 2,500 members, among military personnel and agents, involved in preventive and repressive actions, such as road blockade and control posts (urban and rural roads), patrol and inspection of vessels in the rivers and maritime area and aerial monitoring of the operation area.
Civic and Social Assistance (Aciso) activities were also carried out with the local population, such as support for the maintenance of the Professor Pedro V. Parigot de Souza Public School, in Foz do Iguaçu, and Almirante Tamandaré Municipal School, in Paranaguá; a public visit to the Marine Corps’ operational facilities in the city of Santa Terezinha do Itaipu-PR; and a visit by indigenous people from the Guarani tribe and a group of Templar Trailblazers to the 15th Motorized Infantry Company in Guaíra.
Operation Ágata – In an interagency working environment, Operation Agate is part of the Integrated Border Protection Program (PPIF). Among the objectives is the integration and coordination of actions by the Armed Forces, public security and inspection agencies of the Union, states and municipalities located along the border strip and the sea coast. The purpose of the actions is to strengthen the measures of control, inspection, and repression of cross-border and environmental crimes, and to increase the presence of the State in the region.
The sum of the capabilities of the Brazilian Navy, the Brazilian Army, the Brazilian Air Force and other agencies involved in the Agate Operation proved to be an important vector for the reduction of transnational crimes, resulting in excellent numbers of seizures and fines against agricultural and environmental crimes.
*** Translated by DEFCONPress Team ***