Rogério da Silva Mendonça, known as “Martelo,” became nationally known after escaping from the Federal Penitentiary in Mossoró, Rio Grande do Norte, in February 2024. The escape occurred on February 14 and was the first recorded escape in the history of Brazil’s federal penitentiary system, which consists of maximum-security facilities. Mendonça escaped together with Deibson Cabral Nascimento, known as “Tatu.” Both had been transferred to the Mossoró facility in September 2023 following a prison uprising in Acre. At the time of their transfer, Brazilian authorities identified both men as members of the Comando Vermelho.
According to information from Acre’s prison authorities reported by CNN Brasil, Mendonça had been imprisoned since 2016. He had convictions totaling 74 years at the time of the escape, involving cases related to homicide and robbery. These convictions were separate from the criminal proceedings that followed the escape itself.
The escape triggered an extensive search involving federal and state security agencies. The fugitives remained at large for approximately 50 days before being located in Marabá, Pará, on April 4, 2024. According to the Federal Police and Federal Highway Police, intelligence teams monitored their movements before the operation that resulted in their capture. Six people were arrested during the operation, including Mendonça and Nascimento.
After their recapture, the two men were returned to the Federal Penitentiary in Mossoró. The escape generated additional judicial proceedings, separate from the convictions they already had. In a later case concerning circumstances surrounding their recapture, a federal court sentenced Mendonça to seven years and six months in prison for illegal possession of a firearm and use of false documents. That conviction concerned the events at the time of his recapture, rather than the original escape itself.
The February 2024 episode became a significant chapter in the history of Brazil’s federal prison system. Rogério da Silva Mendonça remains incarcerated, with his name associated with the unprecedented escape from the Mossoró facility and the subsequent nationwide search that ended with his recapture in Pará.
SOURCES
CNN Brasil
CNN Brasil — Who were the Mossoró fugitives?
CNN Brasil
CNN Brasil — Recapture of the Mossoró fugitives
Folha de S.Paulo
Folha — Rogério Mendonça and Deibson Nascimento return to Mossoró
CNN Brasil
CNN Brasil — Sentences of the two Mossoró fugitives
Mossoró Hoje
Mossoró Hoje — Federal conviction following the recapture
