Fabiana Escobar was married to one of the most powerful drug lords in Rio de Janeiro. Together they helped run the cocaine trade in the city's largest favela. But her husband was thrown in jail, and police retook control of the slum. Now Escobar says she wants to stop other women from making the same mistakes she made.
Fabiana Escobar poses with a gun in 2006. Escobar was married to Saulo de Sá Silva, one of the most powerful men in the Rio de Janeiro favela of Rocinha. After years in the drug trade, her husband is now behind bars and the police have taken control of Rocinha.
As the couple was in the big leagues in the drug business, Fabiana became Bibi Perigosa (Bibi the Dangerous), the gangster's wife. Her husband managed the business and she helped with the books. "It was almost like working in a normal business," she says.
The sun sets behind rain clouds over Rocinha. After taking over Rocinha from drug lords, police raised the Brazilian flag, as if to announce: "We have the area under control." A few months ago, the governor opened a police station at the top of the hill and had 80 surveillance cameras installed.
Brazilian navy armored vehicles move into Rocinha in November 2011. Experts said authorities taking control over the favela was one of the most important steps in bringing security to Rio de Janeiro before it hosts the final matches of the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics.
A policeman patrols the Rocinha slum during an operation against drug dealers in Rio de Janeiro in November 2011. Three thousand troops backed by helicopters and armored vehicles occupied Rocinha without firing a shot. Now some 700 police officers patrol the neighborhood day and night.
They called her Bibi Perigosa in Rocinha, the largest favela in Rio de Janeiro. Bibi the Dangerous. She counted the money that her drug lord husband brought home, usually in bags -- about €270,000 ($345,000) a week. She was there when his gang bought automatic weapons from Paraguay, and she listened to his stories about how thieves and traitors were burned to death. When she found out that her husband had a mistress, she demolished the mistress's beauty salon.
ANZEIGE
She once had her picture taken with a gold-plated submachine gun. Another photo shows her embracing her husband, who has pistols and hand grenades stuck in his waistband.
But those days are gone. Today Bibi Perigosa is just Fabiana Escobar, her real name. Her ex-husband has been in prison for five years, and she barely manages to make ends meet. But instead of keeping quiet, she is speaking out about her experiences -- in part because she wants other women to have a better life. There are thousands of young girls in Brazil's slums who are intoxicated by the power, money and status of the drug lords. The role of women in the gangs is underestimated, says former police inspector Marina Maggessi. In fact, she adds, they are an important part of the organization, and are increasingly used as inconspicuous couriers.
In Rio alone, the number of female prison inmates increased by 66 percent between 2007 and 2012. Currently more than 1,700 women are incarcerated in the entire state of Rio de Janeiro, mostly for offences related to the drug trade.
Drug Trade Was Like 'Normal Business'
Dark steps lead up to Escobar's house. In the past, the drug gangs' scouts used the rooftop terrace to keep an eye out for the police and rival gangs. The living room is furnished with pink imitation leather furniture and a makeup mirror, and a pit bull puppy is chewing on a stuffed animal on the red sofa.
Escobar, 35, is wearing a denim skirt, a blouse and black leggings. There are still tattoos on her arms expressing her love for her ex-husband, Saulo de Sá Silva, 37. He was long the right-hand man of Rio's most-feared drug lord, Antônio Francisco Bonfim Lopes, known as Nem. Nem controlled Rocinha, and Saulo de Sá Silva was his deputy. With his dark hair, soft face and glasses, Sá Silva doesn't look anything like a cocaine baron.
Bibi was married to Saulo, the coke baron, for 15 years. The relationship began like so many others, with plenty of love and little money. She was 17 and wanted to become a social worker, and she dreamed of having children and a little house. He was a 19-year-old mail carrier who wanted to get rich as soon as possible. So he became a drug dealer. According to the police, Sá Silva also delivered drugs along with the mail. He went to prison eight years ago, but after a few days he had sawed open the ventilation grille in his cell and escaped. The family, which had since come to include two children, found refuge in Rocinha, where Sá Silva was on good terms with the local drug lord.
There the couple entered the big leagues in the drug business, and it was there that Fabiana became Bibi Perigosa, the gangster's wife. Her husband managed the business and she helped with the books. "It was almost like working in a normal business," she says.
Rocinha was Nem's private kingdom, a city within the city, a giant labyrinth of colorful shacks and houses clinging to the hillsides like honeycombs. More than 80,000 people live in Rocinha, between the beach and the jungle, one of Rio's most beautiful locations.
Taking Control of Rocinha
Nem's gang was called "Amigos dos Amigos," or Friends of Friends. It consisted of 500 armed men, many of them little more than children. He provided half of Rio with cocaine and decided who was to live and who was to die. There was no police or military presence in the favela, and all power was in the hands of Nem's people. When a resident was robbed, he appealed to the drug lords for help. "When a boy stole a fan, he was punished by having gasoline poured over his hand and lit on fire," says Escobar. "Then they gave him a bucket to put out the fire." But the bucket was filled with more gasoline.
Bibi Perigosa was the queen of this realm. She bought gold jewelry, clothing, a flat-screen TV, a beach house and a car. She rented a helicopter to drop rose petals over the favela for her husband Saulo. During parties in the favela, known as Baile Funk, the main purpose of which were to stimulate drug sales, she sat enthroned in her box high above the dance floor and had grilled crayfish and champagne delivered from expensive restaurants. Saulo bought an expensive motorcycle, which they drove at high speeds through the narrow streets of the favela at night.
The other drug dealers also lived opulent lives. They bought the latest fitness equipment from the United States, and they had swimming pools and home movie theaters built. Drug lord Nem kept a small private zoo with toucans, monkeys and alligators.
But now the war is over and the kingdom lost. Rocinha was pacified. In November 2011, soldiers and police occupied the district. They had announced their imminent arrival so as to avoid fighting, and not a single shot was fired. Then they raised the Brazilian flag, as if to announce: "We have the area under control." A few months ago, the governor opened a police station at the top of the hill and had 80 surveillance cameras installed. Now some 700 police officers patrol the neighborhood day and night.
By next year's soccer World Cup, the government plans to recapture a total of 40 strategically significant favelas. Rocinha was number 28 on the list. It is a daring game with an uncertain outcome, but the strategy seems to be working so far. Murders and muggings have declined drastically, the pacified slums are flourishing and the real estate market is booming. There were 4,041 murders in the entire state of Rio de Janeiro last year, the smallest number since 1991.
Exacting Revenge on Drug Lords
But the drug trade continues, mostly by telephone. Many former drug lords are now in prison. Nem fled from Rocinha in 2011, but he was arrested during a roadside check in an upscale neighborhood. He had been hiding in the trunk of a car with fake diplomatic plates. "The police took away his environment," says the former drug lord's wife. The members of his gang scattered, some going to favelas that had not been taken over by the authorities, while others switched to legal jobs or car theft. "Without the favelas, the gangsters are like fish out of water," says Escobar.
Fabiana Escobar poses with a gun in 2006. Escobar was married to Saulo de Sá Silva, one of the most powerful men in the Rio de Janeiro favela of Rocinha. After years in the drug trade, her husband is now behind bars and the police have taken control of Rocinha.
As the couple was in the big leagues in the drug business, Fabiana became Bibi Perigosa (Bibi the Dangerous), the gangster's wife. Her husband managed the business and she helped with the books. "It was almost like working in a normal business," she says.
The sun sets behind rain clouds over Rocinha. After taking over Rocinha from drug lords, police raised the Brazilian flag, as if to announce: "We have the area under control." A few months ago, the governor opened a police station at the top of the hill and had 80 surveillance cameras installed.
Brazilian navy armored vehicles move into Rocinha in November 2011. Experts said authorities taking control over the favela was one of the most important steps in bringing security to Rio de Janeiro before it hosts the final matches of the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics.
A policeman patrols the Rocinha slum during an operation against drug dealers in Rio de Janeiro in November 2011. Three thousand troops backed by helicopters and armored vehicles occupied Rocinha without firing a shot. Now some 700 police officers patrol the neighborhood day and night.
They called her Bibi Perigosa in Rocinha, the largest favela in Rio de Janeiro. Bibi the Dangerous. She counted the money that her drug lord husband brought home, usually in bags -- about €270,000 ($345,000) a week. She was there when his gang bought automatic weapons from Paraguay, and she listened to his stories about how thieves and traitors were burned to death. When she found out that her husband had a mistress, she demolished the mistress's beauty salon.
ANZEIGE
She once had her picture taken with a gold-plated submachine gun. Another photo shows her embracing her husband, who has pistols and hand grenades stuck in his waistband.
But those days are gone. Today Bibi Perigosa is just Fabiana Escobar, her real name. Her ex-husband has been in prison for five years, and she barely manages to make ends meet. But instead of keeping quiet, she is speaking out about her experiences -- in part because she wants other women to have a better life. There are thousands of young girls in Brazil's slums who are intoxicated by the power, money and status of the drug lords. The role of women in the gangs is underestimated, says former police inspector Marina Maggessi. In fact, she adds, they are an important part of the organization, and are increasingly used as inconspicuous couriers.
In Rio alone, the number of female prison inmates increased by 66 percent between 2007 and 2012. Currently more than 1,700 women are incarcerated in the entire state of Rio de Janeiro, mostly for offences related to the drug trade.
Drug Trade Was Like 'Normal Business'
Dark steps lead up to Escobar's house. In the past, the drug gangs' scouts used the rooftop terrace to keep an eye out for the police and rival gangs. The living room is furnished with pink imitation leather furniture and a makeup mirror, and a pit bull puppy is chewing on a stuffed animal on the red sofa.
Escobar, 35, is wearing a denim skirt, a blouse and black leggings. There are still tattoos on her arms expressing her love for her ex-husband, Saulo de Sá Silva, 37. He was long the right-hand man of Rio's most-feared drug lord, Antônio Francisco Bonfim Lopes, known as Nem. Nem controlled Rocinha, and Saulo de Sá Silva was his deputy. With his dark hair, soft face and glasses, Sá Silva doesn't look anything like a cocaine baron.
Bibi was married to Saulo, the coke baron, for 15 years. The relationship began like so many others, with plenty of love and little money. She was 17 and wanted to become a social worker, and she dreamed of having children and a little house. He was a 19-year-old mail carrier who wanted to get rich as soon as possible. So he became a drug dealer. According to the police, Sá Silva also delivered drugs along with the mail. He went to prison eight years ago, but after a few days he had sawed open the ventilation grille in his cell and escaped. The family, which had since come to include two children, found refuge in Rocinha, where Sá Silva was on good terms with the local drug lord.
There the couple entered the big leagues in the drug business, and it was there that Fabiana became Bibi Perigosa, the gangster's wife. Her husband managed the business and she helped with the books. "It was almost like working in a normal business," she says.
Rocinha was Nem's private kingdom, a city within the city, a giant labyrinth of colorful shacks and houses clinging to the hillsides like honeycombs. More than 80,000 people live in Rocinha, between the beach and the jungle, one of Rio's most beautiful locations.
Taking Control of Rocinha
Nem's gang was called "Amigos dos Amigos," or Friends of Friends. It consisted of 500 armed men, many of them little more than children. He provided half of Rio with cocaine and decided who was to live and who was to die. There was no police or military presence in the favela, and all power was in the hands of Nem's people. When a resident was robbed, he appealed to the drug lords for help. "When a boy stole a fan, he was punished by having gasoline poured over his hand and lit on fire," says Escobar. "Then they gave him a bucket to put out the fire." But the bucket was filled with more gasoline.
Bibi Perigosa was the queen of this realm. She bought gold jewelry, clothing, a flat-screen TV, a beach house and a car. She rented a helicopter to drop rose petals over the favela for her husband Saulo. During parties in the favela, known as Baile Funk, the main purpose of which were to stimulate drug sales, she sat enthroned in her box high above the dance floor and had grilled crayfish and champagne delivered from expensive restaurants. Saulo bought an expensive motorcycle, which they drove at high speeds through the narrow streets of the favela at night.
The other drug dealers also lived opulent lives. They bought the latest fitness equipment from the United States, and they had swimming pools and home movie theaters built. Drug lord Nem kept a small private zoo with toucans, monkeys and alligators.
But now the war is over and the kingdom lost. Rocinha was pacified. In November 2011, soldiers and police occupied the district. They had announced their imminent arrival so as to avoid fighting, and not a single shot was fired. Then they raised the Brazilian flag, as if to announce: "We have the area under control." A few months ago, the governor opened a police station at the top of the hill and had 80 surveillance cameras installed. Now some 700 police officers patrol the neighborhood day and night.
By next year's soccer World Cup, the government plans to recapture a total of 40 strategically significant favelas. Rocinha was number 28 on the list. It is a daring game with an uncertain outcome, but the strategy seems to be working so far. Murders and muggings have declined drastically, the pacified slums are flourishing and the real estate market is booming. There were 4,041 murders in the entire state of Rio de Janeiro last year, the smallest number since 1991.
Exacting Revenge on Drug Lords
But the drug trade continues, mostly by telephone. Many former drug lords are now in prison. Nem fled from Rocinha in 2011, but he was arrested during a roadside check in an upscale neighborhood. He had been hiding in the trunk of a car with fake diplomatic plates. "The police took away his environment," says the former drug lord's wife. The members of his gang scattered, some going to favelas that had not been taken over by the authorities, while others switched to legal jobs or car theft. "Without the favelas, the gangsters are like fish out of water," says Escobar.
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