Rio de Janeiro Uses Lava Jato Assets to Buy 10,600 Rifles for Police

The state government of Rio de Janeiro announced a R$ 70 million purchase of 10,610 5.56 mm rifles from U.S. manufacturer Sig Sauer. The firearms will be allocated to the Military Police (8,610 units), Civil Police (1,310 units) and Prison Police (690 units) with delivery expected by the end of the year. Funding comes from assets recovered through judicial decisions, plea‑ bargain agreements and leniency deals linked to Operation Lava Jato, which have already yielded more than R$ 1 billion in identified assets. The procurement was formalised in the official gazette and follows the creation of a specialised unit within the State Secretariat of Public Security to recover illicit assets in partnership with the State Attorney General's Office. A subsequent purchase of armored vehicles (the so‑called “caveirões”) is also planned using the same recovered‑funds source.