Seap launches 9th phase of Operation Mute and reinforces state control in the prison system
National action by Senappen mobilizes specialized forces in Pará to block illicit communications and enhance security in prisons.
The State Secretariat of Penitentiary Administration (Seap) initiated, this Wednesday (26), the 9th phase of Operation Mute throughout the Pará territory. The teams are conducting structural searches focused on seizing cell phones, weapons, and illicit materials that can be used for criminal actions in the country. In Pará, the operation continues without registering illicit items within its units.
The initiative is part of the national task force coordinated by the National Secretariat of Penal Policies (Senappen), of the Ministry of Justice and Public Security (MJSP), which concentrates efforts on combating organized crime within prison units.
The operation takes place simultaneously in all 27 states and the Federal District. In Pará, the central point of activities was the Santa Izabel Penitentiary Complex, where actions began in the early hours of the morning, under the coordination of the Deputy Secretary of Operational Management (Sago) of Seap. At the site, the head of Sago, Ringo Alex Rayol Frias, monitored the teams' work and emphasized that "the importance of Operation Mute seeks to neutralize internal communication within the prison with the outside world."
Ringo Alex highlighted that the legislation prohibiting cell phones in prisons directly guides this type of operation. "This is to prevent, neutralize, and find any object that is not allowed within the prison environment. The prison environment is exclusive territory of the State, and the State is in charge. Therefore, the State has the competence, the assignment, and the prerogative to supervise, control, and maintain discipline within the prison environment so that individuals deprived of liberty do not commit new crimes within this environment that is exclusive to the State," he stated.
The work of specialized forces reinforced the operation. The commander of the Penitentiary Action Group (GAP), penal police officer Eslaine Almeida, explained that the elite troop operated in all units of the State.
"The Penitentiary Action Group (GAP) had a contingent of 18 operators in the Complex, where a thorough search was carried out, in accordance with the protocols established by Seap," she detailed.
At the Penitentiary Operations Command (Cope), Captain QOPM Ismael Alcântara emphasized the priority of identifying possible illegal communication devices. "And within this activity, we today highlighted about 24 operators from Cope, engaged in this search mission. And so far, no equipment, no telephone device has been found," he stated.
For him, the result reinforces the efficiency of the procedures applied daily by the prison units. "So another productive day, another day that we can be sure that the work of the specialized teams, the work of ordinary policing has been quite efficient, very objective within the objectives set by the secretariat," he added.
The Search and Recapture Group (GBR) also integrated the task force. The commander, penal police officer Richard Leão, emphasized the joint action of the three specialized troops of Seap, GAP, GBR, and Cope, in containing illicit activities.
"And the GBR, more specifically, also acts, although our more intense activity is extra-muros supervision, but we also act when operations occur intra-muros, inside the prison. So, once again, we have contributed and, thank God, we are having an effective result today, once again," he evaluated.
Among the staff, the operation was received as an important reinforcement in daily security. Penal police officer Da Silva, who works at the Semi-Open Regime Reintegration Unit (URRS) of Santa Izabel, highlighted the practical effects of the action.
"It is a very effective way; we managed to carry out the entire search, and we found nothing illicit in any of the galleries. It is a large unit, and thank God it was done correctly, effectively, and nothing illicit was found," he reported.
