The SmartCop helicopter from São Paulo City Hall spotted men burning copper wires on Saturday (4) in Parque São Rafael in the city's east zone. The operation led to one arrest and the seizure of about 25 kilograms of the material.
The spotting occurred during Operation Bloqueio Inteligente. Using images from the helicopter, the Smart Sampa monitoring center alerted the Guarda Civil Metropolitana, which sent officers to the scene.
The suspects' vehicle was tracked and stopped on Avenida Jacú-Pêssego. Officers found the already burned copper wires inside the car. The driver provided no documents on the material's origin and was arrested on suspicion of receiving stolen goods. The other suspect fled.
The SmartCop was recently added to the Smart Sampa program. According to Mayor Ricardo Nunes's (MDB) administration, the helicopter rented for R$ 2 million per month features facial recognition, license plate reading and thermal sensors. One kilogram of copper is worth about R$ 65 on the legal recycling market.
