Brazil deploys 9,000 soldiers to southern Brazilian borders to fight cross-border traficants 1008124

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Defense News - Brazil
 
 
Friday, August 10, 2012, 12:07 AM
 
Brazil deploys 9,000 soldiers to southern Brazilian borders to fight cross-border traficants.
Brazil has reinforced its southern borders with 9,000 additional troops as the fifth stage of an ongoing crime-busting operation, local media said Tuesday, August 7, 2012. The security reinforcement, officially named Operation Agatha 5, started on Monday and will last for 20 to 30 days along the nation's borders with Paraguay, Argentina and Uruguay. The troops were backed by several helicopters, patrol ships, jets and armored vehicles.
     
Brazil has reinforced its southern borders with 9,000 additional troops as the fifth stage of an ongoing crime-busting operation, local media said Tuesday, August 7, 2012. The security reinforcement, officially named Operation Agatha 5, started on Monday and will last for 20 to 30 days along the nation's borders with Paraguay, Argentina and Uruguay. The troops were backed by several helicopters, patrol ships, jets and armored vehicles.
Brazilian Army soldiers are deployed in support of Operation Agata.
     

Agatha 5 is mainly designed to stem criminal activities such as drug trafficking, contraband and illegal mining, according to Defense Minister Celso Amorim, who is expected to travel to southern Brazil Wednesday to inspect the operation in person.

Amorim said Brazil's neighbors were informed of the operation in advance and invited to send observers.

In four previous stages of the operation, Brazil seized more than 2.3 tons of illicit drugs, along with 302 boats used by traffickers and 59 firearms. Authorities also destroyed illegal landing strips used for shipping drugs, and illegal mining and logging sites.