BRAZIL CORRUPTION: RIO POLICE ARRESTED OVER 'EXTORTION RACKET' (STA BREAKING NEWS and ARCHIVES)

by STANews , Tuesday, September 16, 2014, 03:38

Rio's police received special training for the World Cup in dealing with protests.

Police in Rio de Janeiro have arrested 22 of their own officers for alleged involvement in a bribery and extortion racket.

Among those arrested was the third-in-command of the city's military police, Colonel Alexandre Fontenelle Ribeiro.

Col Ribeiro is the chief of special operations and leads the city's shock troops.

Search warrants have been issued for a number of other officers and a large amount of cash has been seized.

City public prosecutors said in a statement that senior police officers at the 14th Battalion in Bangu, in the west of Rio, had demanded payments from shopkeepers, motorbike taxis, private van and bus companies.

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http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-29216301