Granny busts drug dealers
2005-08-25 15:09
Rio De Janeiro - An 80-year-old woman dubbed the "granny-spy" helped Brazilian police arrest 15 people, including two police, by secretly filming a narcotics operation for two years from her apartment window, the newspaper Extra reported on Wednesday.
The woman sent police 22 video cassettes of the action at a drug dealer's shantytown residence near her apartment in Rio de Janeiro.
"Look at the future of Brazil. It is not possible that these children take this powder and no one does anything," she told Extra, which dubbed her the "granny-spy".
Pictures printed by Extra from the 33 hours of videotape showed children, ranging in age from six to 16 years old, consuming and selling marijuana, cocaine and crack. Some were armed with pistols and machine guns and carried the drugs in backpacks.
The retired woman, who remained anonymous and under police protection as a witness, said "indignation" and "desperation" at the lack of police action against the drug ring drove her to make the films, Extra reported.
Her film work also implicated seven other policemen for collaboration with the traffickers.
"This is a victory for society," state security official Marcelo Itagiba told local television.
"This proves that every citizen can contribute to the improvement of public security in their town, in our state and country," he said.