Vila Bittencourt (AM) – The 16th Jungle Infantry Brigade, in compliance with its attributions, routinely employs its Special Border Platoons in reconnaissance activities, surveillance and monitoring of the border strip under its responsibility. The constant mobility of troops in the region marks the sovereign presence of Brazil in its borders, guaranteeing the inviolability and integrity of the territory. The actions to combat cross-border and environmental crimes actively cooperate to preserve the Amazon’s biocultural heritage, besides positively impacting public safety in large urban centers, a direct result of the fight against drug trafficking. As a result, the Brigade managed to seize more than 3.5 tons of narcotics throughout the year 2022.
The Solimões Border Command / 8th Jungle Infantry Battalion (CFSol / 8th BIS) is the Operational Unit of the “Mission Brigade”, which includes four Special Border Platoons. Headquartered in the city of Tabatinga-AM, the “Forte São Francisco Xavier Battalion” inherited the mission of the colonial period military installation that gives it its historical designation, namely, the demarcation of Brazil’s northwestern border and the defense of the territory.
The Command deployed its Special Border Platoons in the following locations: Palmeiras do Javari, Ipiranga, Vila Bittencourt, and Estirão do Equador. These soldiers perform the function of “sentinels of the homeland” every day, either by their commitment to their mission or by the austerity of their coercive and dissuasive conduct.
In 2022 alone, the 3rd Special Border Platoon (3rd PEF), based in Vila Bittencourt, Japurá – AM, seized more than 3.5 tons of “skunk,” a drug that has the same active ingredient as marijuana and has greater narcotic power. It is noteworthy the most recent seizure, made on December 7, 2022. Around 03:00 a.m., military personnel from the rapid response force of the 17th Jungle Infantry Battalion seized 941 kg of the drug. At the time, the military mobilized a Blockade and Control Station of the rivers, and used optical equipment to identify the vessels that transported the drugs.
The 16th Jungle Infantry Brigade reinforces the legality of its actions on the border strip. It also clarifies that the seized material is sent to the Federal Police, an agency of great importance for the fulfillment of the constitutional mission of the Brazilian Army on the border strip.
Source: 8th BIS *** Translated by the DEFCONPress FYI Team ***