HomeNewsBriefMassive Cocaine Seizure in Brazil Port Sign of PCC's Influence
BRIEF

Massive Cocaine Seizure in Brazil Port Sign of PCC's Influence

BRAZIL / 2 APR 2014 BY MICHAEL LOHMULLER EN

Authorities in Brazil have attributed nearly four tons of internationally destined cocaine seized in a major port to the PCC criminal group, in a further sign of the organization's expansion and growing influence.

On March 31, Brazil's Federal Police arrested 23 people and seized vehicles, weapons, more than $317,000 in Euro notes, and over 3.7 tons of cocaine in the Port of Santos, located 70 km southeast of downtown São Paulo, reported G1 Globo. The bust is one of the largest ever in Latin America's busiest port.

Police say the First Capital Command (PCC) participated in the smuggling scheme, making this the first case with evidence linking the group to trans-continental drug trafficking, reported Veja. The scheme saw cocaine trafficked from Bolivia and Paraguay to São Paulo, with the PCC ultimately responsible for placing the drugs in shipping containers destined for Europe, Cuba, and Africa.

Police Commissioner Reinaldo Sperandio said no port officials had been implicated in the trafficking operation during their investigations, which began in 2013 as part of two major operations codenamed Oversea and Hulk, reported G1 Globo.

InSight Crime Analysis

In recent years, the PCC has steadily expanded its underworld influence beyond its base in São Paulo, where it was established by prisoners in the 1990s. The group is now estimated to operate in at least 21 of Brazil's 27 states, earning at least $2.5 million a month from illicit activities, and controlling trafficking routes between Brazil, Bolivia, and Paraguay.

Now it appears the PCC may be expanding beyond regional and local drug trafficking and moving into this global cocaine business, providing a further indication of their growing power.

SEE ALSO: Coverage of the PCC

In recent years, Brazil has become a major departure point for cocaine shipped to Europe, often via West Africa, where a mixture of porous borders, endemic corruption and the shared languages in some nations has made it an increasingly popular transshipment point and operational base for Latin American criminal groups.

Despite Sperandio's statement to the contrary, it is highly unlikely a nearly four-ton cocaine consignment could have entered the port without some cooperation from corrupt employees at the facility.

share icon icon icon

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

What are your thoughts? Click here to send InSight Crime your comments.

We encourage readers to copy and distribute our work for non-commercial purposes, with attribution to InSight Crime in the byline and links to the original at both the top and bottom of the article. Check the Creative Commons website for more details of how to share our work, and please send us an email if you use an article.

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

Related Content

BRAZIL / 9 AUG 2021

A shadowy vigilante death squad operating on the Brazil-Paraguay border is killing supposed thieves and then leaving notes next to…

COCAINE / 29 SEP 2021

Accused paramilitary drug lord “Memo Fantasma,” or “Will the Ghost,” has petitioned a judge to be let out of a…

COCAINE / 28 FEB 2023

The movie Cocaine Bear has a surprising connection to Pablo Escobar and the Medellin Cartel, especially how they trafficked drugs…

About InSight Crime

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime's Chemical Precursor Report continues to be a reference in the region

19 MAY 2023

For the second week in a row, our investigation into the flow of precursor chemicals for the manufacture of synthetic drugs in Mexico has been cited by multiple regional media…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime’s Chemical Precursor Report Widely Cited

THE ORGANIZATION / 12 MAY 2023

We are proud to see that our recently published investigation into the supply chain of chemical precursors feeding Mexico’s synthetic drug production has been warmly received.

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime’s Paraguay Election Coverage Draws Attention 

5 MAY 2023

InSight Crime looked at the various anti-organized crime policies proposed by the candidates in Paraguay’s presidential election, which was won on April 30 by Santiago Peña. Our pre-election coverage was cited…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime Cited in OAS, CARICOM Reports

28 APR 2023

This week, InSight Crime’s work was cited nine times in a new report by the Organization of American States (OAS) titled “The Impact of Organized Crime on Women,…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime Staff Cited as Experts by International Media

21 APR 2023

This week, InSight Crime deputy editor, Juan Diego Posada, was interviewed by the Associated Press about connections between the ex-FARC mafia and Brazilian criminal groups, and…