Public security forces must "strangle the money" of criminal factions, argues Gleisi.

247 - The Minister of Institutional Relations, Gleisi Hoffmann, stated that the fight against organized crime in Rio de Janeiro needs to go beyond confrontational police operations. In an interview with... View Forum PostsShe argued that public security in the country should be based on intelligence, integration between federal entities, and combating the financial flow of drug trafficking.

In an interview with Estadão/Broadcast, Gleisi acknowledged that part of the population supports police actions in communities dominated by factions, but warned that this type of operation has limited effect and high risks. “The opinion of the population is very understandable, because those who live in a community under the yoke of drug trafficking know what violence, oppression, and extortion mean. So, it's understandable that people support an action like the one carried out in Rio de Janeiro. What we want to emphasize is that this will not effectively combat organized crime,” she stated.

"A life of crime is replaceable," warns Gleisi.

The minister classified purely repressive operations as palliative and defended the use of intelligence services and integrated planning between the federal government, states, and municipalities. “This may bring some relief, but these operations put the lives of police officers and innocent people at risk. And organized crime quickly regroups in the territory. Unfortunately, for crime, life is replaceable,” she said.

For Gleisi, it is essential to target the financial bases of the factions. "We have to strangle the money that sustains drug trafficking and carry out operations that reach the big players, who are the ones who finance the occupation of the territory," she declared. She cited as an example Operation Hidden Carbon, conducted with the participation of the federal government, the Federal Police, the Internal Revenue Service, and the COAF (Council for Financial Activities Control), which investigated and blocked resources linked to money laundering from drug trafficking.

Integration and new structure for public safety

The minister emphasized that the role of the federal government should be to coordinate and institutionalize joint actions, not just to provide equipment. “Today, the states treat us as equipment providers. 'Oh, we're going to do an operation and we need some armored vehicles from you.' They don't sit down with the federal government, they don't plan the operation. That's not right,” she criticized.

She defended the approval of the Security Amendment, which aims to create legal mechanisms to formalize cooperation between federal entities. "How can we enter an operation simply by providing equipment, without knowing exactly what the objective of that operation is? Are we going to be partners in a result that we don't know how it was achieved?" she questioned.

"There is no such thing as a good criminal," says minister.

Asked if the government was losing the public debate on security, Gleisi stated that the priority should be the effectiveness of the actions. "Our concern is not only about winning or losing the debate, but about having effectiveness. When people see that what we are proposing will have results, that tends to change," she replied.

In the interview, the minister also criticized the simplistic discourse of part of the opposition and reaffirmed the government's position against extermination policies. “This story of 'the only good criminal is a dead criminal': first, there is no such thing as a good criminal. Criminals must be imprisoned, they must face legal proceedings, and there must be territorial occupation by security forces, with public policies, and, above all, the strangulation of drug trafficking and organized crime through its financial means,” she declared.

Long-lasting struggle and public policies

Gleisi emphasized that the success of any public security policy depends on territorial occupation with a state presence and the provision of public services. "The police entered, killed, removed people from there, but did not occupy the territory in terms of security and public policies. We have an obligation to provide a more comprehensive response; it's not just about having a superficial political debate," she said.

According to the minister, the 2026 election debate must be faced "with courage and concrete proposals," and not with punitive slogans. "We've already had other shallow campaigns against us and we had the courage to confront them. So much so that we won the election. We have to deliver results," she concluded.