The use of explosives as a means of securing criminal control of rivers in the legal Amazon.
The use of explosives as a means of securing criminal control of rivers in the legal Amazon.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51473/rcmos.v1i1.2026.2055Keywords:
Public Security. Drug Trafficking. Military Police. Neo-Cangaço.Abstract
Public security in the Legal Amazon is facing a paradigm shift with the evolution of the "New Cangaço" to the "Domination of Rivers," a phenomenon characterized by the territorial control of strategic waterways by transnational criminal factions. This article investigates the adaptation of irregular warfare tactics to the riverine environment, with an emphasis on the use of explosive devices. The research adopts a multidisciplinary perspective, integrating the chemistry of energetic materials, the physics of underwater explosions, and operational logistics. The results demonstrate that the high humidity of the Amazon renders ammonium nitrate (ANFO)-based explosives obsolete, leading organized crime to adopt explosive emulsions and detonating cords resistant to water. From a physiopathological point of view, the amplified lethality of shock waves in a liquid medium and the risks of severe internal injuries (blast injury) underwater are discussed. The study adopts a qualitative, exploratory, and descriptive approach, based on bibliographic review and document analysis. The data were collected from primary sources (legislation, police manuals) and secondary sources (technical literature in engineering and medicine). The analysis compared the doctrines of "New Cangaço" and "River Control," focusing on explosives and the propagation of shock waves. It concludes that a detailed understanding of the Bubble Pulse phenomenon and its associated injury mechanisms is a fundamental pillar for safety in hazardous underwater environments.
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