Authorities in Rio de Janeiro have arrested a woman they say is behind a series of violent attacks in the northeastern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Norte — more than 2,000 kilometers from where they found her.
Andreza Cristina Lima Leitão, known as Bibi Perigosa (“Dangerous Bibi”), had been on the run from law enforcement since 2020, hiding under a false name in Rio de Janeiro favelas controlled by the Red Command (Comando Vermelho) crime gang, which is allied with Rio Grande do Norte’s so-called Crime Syndicate, of which Ms. Leitão is a leader.
The Crime Syndicate carried out more than 300 attacks in 30 cities in Rio Grande do Norte state between March 14 and 25. Public buildings and vehicles were set on fire or shot at, in addition to robberies and thefts. Schools and hospitals were closed amid the wave of violence.
According to law enforcement officials, the attacks were ordered from within the prison system, as the gang demanded better incarceration conditions. Suspects of involvement in the attacks were transferred to other maximum security prisons. In all, 14 people were killed in clashes with the police, and nearly 300 were arrested.
Ms. Leitão took over the Crime Syndicate in 2016 — after her husband, the gang’s then-ringleader, was executed by rivals. She was sentenced to ten years in prison for drug trafficking and conspiracy, but disappeared in 2018.
“She is considered one of the biggest traffickers in Rio Grande do Norte and faces several lawsuits in court for drug trafficking, conspiracy, and the attacks that took place last month,” said the Rio de Janeiro police.
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