Brazil's police dismantle international cocaine gang

A criminal gang of drug trafficking and money laundering, responsible for exporting two tons of cocaine per month to Brazil, was dismantled this Wednesday (Jun. 29) by the Brazilian Federal Police during Operation Quijarro. Traffickers operated in the states of Paraná, Mato Grosso do Sul, and São Paulo.

According to the investigation, launched in January 2015, one of the groups responsible for the logistics of transporting the cocaine was based in Londrina, Paraná, with locations for trafficking in Bolivia, Colombia, and Spain.

The cocaine was transported in trucks and enclosed car trailers, hidden in false bottoms specially prepared to transport the drug. They managed to fool the inspection authorities by pretending to transport a licit cargo, and also by having drivers who were already aware that they were carrying the narcotic substance.

During the police operation, more than three tons of cocaine and about $10 million were seized from the gang's centre of operation in Bolivia. They have also identified the properties they used as warehouses, in Brazil, for loading and unloading the cargo, and for making the false bottoms in vehicles.

Translated by Amarílis Anchieta