Brasilia, Jul 20 (EFE).- Authorities of the Brazilian city of Manaus in the heart of the Amazon are investigating a wave of homicides that took a toll of 30 lives over the weekend, officials said Monday.
The city's Public Safety Secretariat said that most of those crimes are thought to have been a "settling of scores" between rival gangs involved in drug-trafficking and other illegal activities.
The 30 homicides under investigation were committed between Friday night and the early hours Monday, primarily in suburban areas where gangs operate that could be responsible for this wave of violence.
According to the head of the Public Safety Secretariat, Sergio Fontes, the authorities have boosted police presence in the streets and have launched investigations to identify the culprits.
"We must give a response to all these deaths," Fortes told local media, adding that suspicions are "strong" that the wave of violence was sparked by disputes between rival gangs.
According to the official, there are criminal organizations inside prisons whose members, though they are inmates, control drug trafficking in the city.
"If they had disputes inside the jails, it is very possible that they spilled over into the streets," he said.
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