Two laws formalizing the donation of four Brazilian aircraft and military equipment to Paraguay and Uruguay were sanctioned on Monday (Jan. 12).

In addition to two 412 Classic helicopters manufactured by Bell Aircraft Corporation and operated by the Federal Police, Brazil will donate six M108 self-propelled howitzer armored combat vehicles to Paraguay, as well as a floating aluminum walkway - a type of bridge that can be installed over rivers and other waterways - belonging to the Army.

In the case of Uruguay, the National Navy will receive two Bell Jet Ranger III (IH-6B) helicopters transferred from the Brazilian Navy.

Signed by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Defense Minister José Múcio Monteiro Filho, the laws were proposed by the Executive Branch, which argued that the initiative seeks to strengthen diplomatic relations and military cooperation between Brazil and its two neighboring countries.

According to the Brazilian presidential palace, the measure will contribute to the modernization and expansion of the operational capabilities of Paraguayan and Uruguayan security forces, improving regional security, “with increased capacity to respond to emergency situations and combat transnational crime.”

The aircraft and other equipment will be donated in their “current state of conservation,” and the expenses related to their relocation from their locations to the borders of Paraguay and Uruguay will be covered by Brazil.

Brazil’s Ministry of Justice and Public Security on Thursday (Jan. 8) authorized the deployment of National Public Security Force agents in the state capital of Roraima –  Boa Vista – and in the border town of Pacaraima, in the same state, the main gateway to Brazilian territory for Venezuelans leaving their country.

Political instability in Venezuela and the possible consequences of the military action carried out by the US last Saturday (3) to depose Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro have prompted the Brazilian government to increase the number of agents deployed on the border with its neighbor.

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The agents will operate in the two cities for the next 90 days – a period that may be extended if necessary. During this time span, the troops will support state public security agencies in activities and services essential to preserving public order and ensuring the safety of the people.

National Force

Composed of federal agents and military as well as civil police officers (including firefighters and experts) provided by states and the Federal District, the National Public Security Force can operate anywhere in the country at the request of governors or ministries that need support to carry out their activities.

The former director of Brazil’s Federal Highway Police, Silvinei Vasques, was arrested in Paraguay on early Friday morning (Dec. 26).

Sentenced by the country’s Supreme Court to 24 years and six months in prison for his involvement in the coup plot aimed at keeping onetime President Jair Bolsonaro in power after his electoral defeat in 2022, he was arrested at an airport in Paraguay while attempting to board a flight to El Salvador.

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According to the prosecution, Vasques participated in a group that coordinated the use of police forces to support Bolsonaro’s illegitimate permanence, ordering agents to set up checkpoints that would hinder voters on their way to the polls to vote for then-candidate Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva during the second round of the 2022 elections, held on October 30 of that year.

Vasques is also said to have attended the meeting of October 19, 2022, in which the use of highway police operations to prevent voters from voting in the second round was discussed. He is credited with the phrase, “the time had come for the Federal Highway Police to pick a side in the dispute.”

During the trial of the former police director and other defendants in the so-called Nucleus 2 of the criminal case involving the coup plot, by the first panel of the Supreme Court, on December 9, Vasques’ lawyers argued he did not act to prevent Lula’s voters from traveling to the polls in the second round of the 2022 elections.

Vasques had his preventive arrest ruled in August 2023 and spent a year in custody until Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes granted him provisional release upon compliance with a series of precautionary measures – such as the use of an ankle tag and the cancellation of his passport.

In a report published on the G1 website, journalist Andréia Sadi attributes to the current director of the Federal Police, Andrei Rodrigues, the information that Vasques left Brazil without judicial authorization after breaking his ankle tag. When approached and arrested by Paraguayan authorities, Vasques reportedly had an original Paraguayan passport with false personal information.

The Federal Police were reached by our team and had not commented on the information reported by G1 as of the publication of this article.