Gangsters control half of Rio – study

RIO DE JANEIRO: Armed militia groups control more than half the territory of this very popular city, installing a reign of terror in poor neighborhoods that are home to nearly 2.2 million people, according to a study published on Monday (Tuesday in Manila).

The criminal groups, considered “Brazilian mafia,” run extortion rackets and often act as de facto authorities in neighborhoods that last year represented 57.5 percent of the surface area of Brazil’s second city, said a consortium including two universities, online watchdog platforms and a government anticrime hotline.