VZCZCXRO7635
OO RUEHRG
DE RUEHSO #0761 1940928
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 130928Z JUL 06
FM AMCONSUL SAO PAULO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5393
INFO RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 6481
RUEHRG/AMCONSUL RECIFE 3034
RUEHRI/AMCONSUL RIO DE JANEIRO 7256
RUEHAC/AMEMBASSY ASUNCION 2674
RUEHBU/AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES 2347
RUEHMN/AMEMBASSY MONTEVIDEO 2072
RUEHLP/AMEMBASSY LA PAZ 2910
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUMIAAA/USCINCSO MIAMI FL
RUEAWJC/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC
RUEABND/DRUG ENFORCEMENT ADMIN HQ WASHDC

UNCLAS SAO PAULO 000761 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR DS/IP/WHA, DS/ICI/PII, DS/DSS/OSAC, WHA/BSC 
NSC FOR CRONIN 
DEA FOR OEL/DESANTIS AND NIRL/LEHRER 
DEPT ALSO FOR WHA/PDA, DRL/PHD, INL, DS/IP/WHA, DS/DSS/ITA 
BRASILIA FOR RSO AND LEGAT; RIO DE JANEIRO FOR RSO SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD SIPDIS 

E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM KCRM SOCI SNAR ASEC BR

SUBJECT: INCREASED OVERNIGHT VIOLENCE IN SAO PAULO LIKELY DUE TO GANG LEADER ARREST 
REF: Sao Paulo 751 and Previous 

¶1. Sao Paulo's slow burn of violence directed against prison and police officials by the organized criminal gang PCC over the past weeks flared during the early morning hours of July 12. Reminiscent of the beginning of the violence unleashed on Sao Paulo and neighboring cities in mid-May by the PCC, though on a much smaller scale, when civilians as well as police were targeted, six persons were killed, police stations attacked, and buses and bank facilities burned. Traffic and business operations throughout the city, however, were mostly unaffected. This new wave of violence seems to have been sparked by the arrest earlier that same night of Emivaldo Silva Santos (known by the nickname BH), thought to be the "general" of the PCC in the ABC district of Sao Paulo (southeastern industrial suburbs) down to the coastal cities of Santos and Guaruja. The violence could also be in response to discussion of a possible government plan to isolate incarcerated PCC leaders in the new maximum security federal prison in Cantanduvas, Parana. 

¶2. News sources reported up to 53 targets and 48 attacks as of 1:30 pm. The following is the tally of the overnight/morning violence: 

-- Six dead: a military policeman and his sister were killed at his house in the northern part of the city; three private security guards were killed in separate incidents in the coastal city of Guaruja; and a prison guard's 24 year-old son, an aspiring professional soccer player, was gunned down. 

-- At least nine police/Municipal Guard facilities were attacked throughout the greater metro area, usually drive-by shootings. 

-- At least 16 buses were burned in locations scattered throughout the greater metro area and Santos. 

-- Seven bank agencies were burned (damaged by Molotov cocktails), often in ATM areas. 

-- Two supermarkets, closed at the time, were attacked and burned, a new tactic for the PCC. Criminals left notes on supermarket doors denouncing "prison oppression." 

-- Two used car dealerships were broken into and heavily damaged, another new tactic perhaps used to divert police attention. 

¶3. Comment: Local authorities have no indication whether the violence will continue at the current level, grow, or subside. Post is monitoring the situation closely and will continue to report. End Comment. 

MCMULLEN