By Rodrigo Viga Gaier
RIO DE JANEIRO – Rio de Janeiro police demolished on Tuesday a facility they dubbed a “drug trafficking resort,” which they said was used as a meeting point for drug traffickers in the Brazilian city.
Featuring an artificial lake, swimming pool, gym, barbecue area, and leisure space, the property was located inside a group of Rio favelas known as the Israel Complex.
It had been built by Alvaro Malaquias, known as “Peixao” (Big Fish), one of Rio de Janeiro state’s most dangerous and wanted criminals, according to a police statement.
Arrest warrants were served against members of the criminal organization led by Peixao, who remains at large, and three suspects were arrested, the police said.
Police had arrived at the Israel Complex early in the morning and confronted suspected criminals, who had fired at security forces, the statement added.
Avenida Brasil, one of the city’s main expressways, was closed, and nearby bus and train lines were temporarily suspended as a security measure.
Police agents used heavy machinery to destroy the facility housing the “resort,” which was built in an environmental preservation area and had allegedly altered the course of a local river, according to a source familiar with the operation.
Peixao, an evangelical Christian, commands organized crime in the Israel Complex and requires his allies to profess the same religion, according to the police investigation. His group, known as Terceiro Comando Puro, uses a Star of David as their symbol.
(Reporting by Rodrigo Viga Gaier; Writing by Isabel Teles; Editing by Aida Pelaez-Fernandez and Rosalba O’Brien)
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