Images acquired by the Civil Police of Rio de Janeiro show dozens of people queuing to participate in a training course on the use of drones organized by drug trafficking figures in the Complexo da Penha, in the North Zone of the Rio de Janeiro capital. The footage, taken about two weeks ago, attracted the attention of the Brazilian and international press because it documents the growing use of this technology by organized crime.
According to investigators, the drones, initially used by criminal organizations mainly for monitor the territories controlled by the factions and monitor the movements of the police forces, are now also used for more offensive operations.
Among the methods identified by the authorities there would also be the adaptation of the aircraft to carry and drop grenades, both during clashes with rival criminal groups and during attacks against security forces.
For investigators, the organization of specific courses represents a significant evolution in the operational methods of organized crime. The skills needed to pilot and operate these devices, once concentrated in the hands of a few specialized members, have been progressively spread to an ever-increasing number of members of criminal factions.
This diffusion of technological knowledge could increase the operational capacity of criminal organizations, making the work of law enforcement more complex and introducing new methods of surveillance, communication, and attack.
The case thus rekindles the alarm of the Brazilian authorities on thetechnological evolution of organized crime. The use of increasingly sophisticated tools by criminal gangs poses new challenges to public safety and forces law enforcement to develop adequate detection and countermeasures to address a threat that is no longer limited to territorial control, but also extends to airspace.