HomeNewsBriefPirates Threatening Brazilian Amazon Highlight Regional Security Concern
BRIEF

Pirates Threatening Brazilian Amazon Highlight Regional Security Concern

BRAZIL / 22 NOV 2016 BY LUIS FERNANDO ALONSO AND DAVID GAGNE EN

Marauding pirates represent a growing threat along the Amazon river in Brazil, the New York Times reports, but this remote outpost is not the only place in Latin America where piracy is becoming a greater security concern. 

Police forces in Brazil are struggling to curtail river piracy in the Amazon river basin, as a series of recent attacks have terrorized riverboat crews and their passengers, reported the New York Times. This September, nearly a dozen men raided a ship near the port city of Belém, robbing some 260 passengers. The following month, armed pirates commandeered a fuel ship, stealing more than 2,600 gallons of diesel fuel, along with the crew's personal items.

"Every riverboat captain knows they're at the mercy of these bastards," said Merinaldo Paiva, whose passengers were held up at gunpoint by pirates in April.

While piracy is a longstanding issue in the Amazon, boat operators told the Times they fear the groups are becoming more savvy in choosing their victims. Galdino Alencar, the president of a boater's union in the state of Amazonas, said that pirates are now focused on going after large cargo ships, especially those carrying fuel.

    SEE ALSO: Brazil News and Profiles

Due to the expansive and remote terrain that the Amazon encompasses, as well as the sparse police presence, combating river piracy has proven elusive for authorities. 

“There’s no law on the Amazon River,” one local fisherwoman told the newspaper.

InSight Crime Analysis

Many of the factors fueling piracy on Brazil's Amazon are also contributing to robberies on rivers, lakes and the high seas in other parts of the region. In the last few years, there have been multiple reports of armed pirates boarding ships and looting passengers in the near-by Peruvian Amazon region. 

Meanwhile, Venezuelan pirates involved in a host of criminal activities have attacked fishermen and stolen machinery from petroleum platforms on Lake Maracaibo, causing delays in oil production. And off Ecuador's Pacific coast, pirates strapped with AK-47s have reportedly taken to hijacking fishing boats, using the vessels to transport drugs or other contraband items. Fishermen say the pirates offer large sums of money in exchange for their complicity. Those that refuse the offer are rarely heard from again. 

share icon icon icon

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

What are your thoughts? Click here to send InSight Crime your comments.

We encourage readers to copy and distribute our work for non-commercial purposes, with attribution to InSight Crime in the byline and links to the original at both the top and bottom of the article. Check the Creative Commons website for more details of how to share our work, and please send us an email if you use an article.

Tags

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

Related Content

BRAZIL / 15 DEC 2021

As the world’s largest freshwater fish, the arapaima, is being targeted by poachers in Brazil, Indigenous communities are doing their…

COCAINE / 22 MAR 2022

Rampant piracy along Ecuador’s coastal provinces is forcing hundreds of fishermen to leave their profession and the sea out of…

BRAZIL / 24 AUG 2021

Localized gang warfare in Brazil's state of Rio Grande do Sul has sparked a security crisis along its border with…

About InSight Crime

WORK WITH US

Open Position: Social Media and Engagement Strategist

27 MAY 2023

InSight Crime is looking for a Social Media and Engagement Strategist who will be focused on maintaining and improving InSight Crime’s reputation and interaction with its audiences through publishing activities…

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela Coverage Receives Great Reception

27 MAY 2023

Several of InSight Crime’s most recent articles about Venezuela have been well received by regional media. Our article on Venezuela’s colectivos expanding beyond their political role to control access to…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime's Chemical Precursor Report Continues

19 MAY 2023

For the second week in a row, our investigation into the flow of precursor chemicals for the manufacture of synthetic drugs in Mexico has been cited by multiple regional media…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime’s Chemical Precursor Report Widely Cited

THE ORGANIZATION / 12 MAY 2023

We are proud to see that our recently published investigation into the supply chain of chemical precursors feeding Mexico’s synthetic drug production has been warmly received.

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime’s Paraguay Election Coverage Draws Attention 

5 MAY 2023

InSight Crime looked at the various anti-organized crime policies proposed by the candidates in Paraguay’s presidential election, which was won on April 30 by Santiago Peña. Our pre-election coverage was cited…