FRENCH COUPLE BUSTED WITH "MACONHA"

FRENCHIES ARRESTED BY POLICE OFFICERS AT Chapéu-Mangueira FAVELA
by Dan RJ

A year ago the Mayor of Rio had a great idea: set up police stations in the favelas. They are called UPPs (Police Pacifying Units in the Portuguese acronym). Since then all the favelas on the border with Copacabana are relatively peaceful. Before the UPPs were established, it was frequent to hear shots fired by automatic weapons, and the noise of fireworks being set off . There were two reasons for the fireworks to be exploded : 1) to warn the trafiickers that the police were to enter the favela 2) to alert buyers that the traffickers were selling maconha, cocaine or crack. One of the most troblesome favelas was that of Chapeu-Mangueira, near Princesa Isabel Avenue in the district known as Leme, on the northern side of Copacabana. On January 17, 2011, EXTRA, a local newspaper,informed that the cops from the UPP at Chapeu-Mangueira, arrested a French couple, identified as Rolse Antony Fransos, (34 years old )and Maria Cristalli Marcadon, (23). They were living at the Favela , and after searching their home, the cops found that they had 400 grams of "maconha" (marijuana, cannabis sativa) hidden in the fridge.

To make matters worse, Rolse had a great idea and offered the officers a payment of R$250 in order to be left free. Both were taken to the 13th Police Station at Ipanema and jailed accused of drug trafficking. They will go on trial in a few months.