They might as well have hired an excavator
Two inmates escaped Mossoró's maximum-security federal prison on Feb 14, the first escape since the facility opened in 2006 to isolate criminal faction leaders. Lula suggested staff negligence or deliberate collusion enabled the escape, noting the sophistication of the tunnel dig. Justice Minister Lewandowski ordered immediate leadership removal.
- Two inmates escaped Mossoró federal prison on February 14, 2024—the first escape since the facility opened in 2006
- Rogério da Silva Mendonça (Tatu), 36, and Deibson Cabral Nascimento (Deisinho), 34, both linked to Comando Vermelho faction
- Prison is located in Mossoró, Rio Grande do Norte, 277 km from Natal
- Inmates took a family hostage for approximately four hours on February 16, made calls to Rio de Janeiro
- Justice Minister Ricardo Lewandowski immediately removed the prison's leadership and installed an interim administrator
President Lula alleged possible collusion by penitentiary staff in the escape of two faction-linked inmates from a maximum-security federal prison in Mossoró, marking the first breach since its 2006 opening.
On Wednesday, February 14th, two men tunneled out of a maximum-security federal prison in Mossoró, a city in Rio Grande do Norte state, 277 kilometers from the state capital. The escape marked the first breach in eighteen years—since the facility opened in 2006 with the explicit purpose of housing the most dangerous inmates in Brazil, particularly leaders of organized crime factions. The two men who left were Rogério da Silva Mendonça, 36, known as Tatu, and Deibson Cabral Nascimento, 34, called Deisinho. Both had arrived at Mossoró just months earlier, transferred from Acre state in September after allegedly leading a prison rebellion that killed five people in July 2023.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva addressed the escape while in Addis Ababa on an official five-day visit to Africa. Speaking to reporters, he did not mince words about what the escape suggested. "We want to know how these men dug a hole and nobody saw it," he said. "They might as well have hired an excavator." The implication was clear: the sophistication of the tunnel, the fact that it went undetected, pointed to something beyond simple negligence. "It seems there was collusion with someone inside the system," Lula continued, "but I cannot accuse anyone." He acknowledged that an investigation had already been launched by Justice Minister Ricardo Lewandowski, who had just taken office and immediately removed the prison's leadership, installing an interim administrator in their place.
Lula framed the breach as unprecedented. "This is the first time someone has escaped from these prisons," he said. "That means there may have been a relaxation of standards, and we need to know whose failure allowed this to happen." The president's language—relaxation, collusion, negligence—suggested he believed the escape was not simply a matter of two determined men and a shovel. The tunnel's existence, undetected until the men were gone, implied either that guards were not watching, or that someone had ensured they would not.
Within a day of the escape, the Justice Ministry issued an order suspending all outdoor recreation time, social visits, and attorney visits across the federal prison system. Educational programs, work assignments, and religious services were also halted. Only emergency medical care continued. The restrictions applied initially to February 15th and 16th, a blunt institutional response to a security failure that had shaken confidence in the system.
Meanwhile, investigators tracking the fugitives found their trail leading toward Rio de Janeiro. On Friday night, February 16th, the two men took a family hostage in their home. They stayed for roughly four hours, eating, making multiple WhatsApp calls—some to Rio de Janeiro, based on the area code—and then left with food and supplies. The family was not harmed. According to investigators, one of the men on the calls had a Rio accent and claimed to be in the capital. Both Mendonça and Nascimento were believed to be members of Comando Vermelho, the Red Command faction, one of Brazil's largest criminal organizations.
The escape exposed a vulnerability in a system designed to be impenetrable. Mossoró's maximum-security facility was built to isolate the country's most dangerous prisoners, to prevent them from directing operations on the outside, to sever their ability to lead. That two men could dig their way out, undetected, suggested the system had a flaw—whether in vigilance, in staffing, or in something darker. Lula's public skepticism about the official story, his pointed questions about how such a thing could happen, reflected the seriousness of the breach. The investigation would determine whether the escape was a failure of attention or a failure of loyalty.
Citações Notáveis
It seems there was collusion with someone inside the system, but I cannot accuse anyone.— President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
This is the first time someone has escaped from these prisons. That means there may have been a relaxation of standards, and we need to know whose failure allowed this to happen.— President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
When the president says there was "collusion," what exactly is he suggesting happened?
He's saying someone on the inside—a guard, a supervisor, someone with access—either looked the other way while the tunnel was being dug, or actively helped. A tunnel that sophisticated doesn't just appear without being noticed unless people choose not to notice it.
But he also says he can't accuse anyone. Why make the suggestion at all?
Because the public needs to understand this wasn't just a security lapse. It was the first escape in eighteen years from a prison built specifically to prevent escapes. That doesn't happen by accident. He's signaling that the investigation needs to look at the staff, not just the inmates.
The two men took a family hostage. That seems almost casual—they needed food, so they just stopped at a house.
It shows they weren't panicked or desperate. They were organized enough to know they needed supplies, confident enough to take time, and controlled enough not to hurt anyone. That's the profile of men with outside support, with a plan.
What does it mean that they called Rio de Janeiro?
It means they have connections there, people waiting for them. The Red Command operates in Rio. They're not running blind—they're moving toward their network.
Why suspend all visits and programs across every federal prison, not just Mossoró?
It's a show of force, a way of saying the system is taking this seriously. But it's also punishment for all the other inmates, which suggests the government is rattled. When you lock down an entire system because of one escape, you're admitting the breach exposed something systemic.
Do we know if anyone was actually helping them?
Not yet. That's what the investigation is supposed to find. But the fact that the president is publicly questioning it, that the minister removed the entire leadership—that tells you they suspect it's true.