Brazilian Police Kill Alleged PCC Member in Cocaine Export Probe

Brazil’s Federal Police killed an alleged member of the Primeiro Comando da Capital, the country’s most powerful prison-born criminal organization, during a raid on Thursday as part of a wider investigation into international cocaine trafficking.

Rildo dos Reis Cerqueira, known as “R7,” was shot at a luxury property in Igaratá, a town about 90 kilometers from São Paulo, according to O Globo. Police said he opened fire when agents arrived at the house, which had a swimming pool and private marina. Officers returned fire, and Cerqueira died at the scene after receiving preliminary medical care. No police officers were injured.

The raid was part of Operation Commodity, a Federal Police offensive aimed at dismantling what investigators describe as a transnational criminal consortium that exported cocaine by sea to Europe and laundered proceeds through a network of companies and high-value assets. By Thursday afternoon, authorities had arrested nine people.

Police obtained 13 preventive arrest warrants and searched 44 addresses across São Paulo, Espírito Santo, Santa Catarina and Minas Gerais. Authorities also ordered the seizure and freezing of assets worth 1 billion reais, affecting individuals and companies allegedly tied to the scheme.

According to O Globo, intelligence reports cited by investigators indicate that the network shipped about 6.5 tons of cocaine to European ports over roughly three years from 2021. The alleged operation involved cooperation with both the PCC and Comando Vermelho, a Rio de Janeiro-based criminal faction and one of the PCC’s main national rivals.

Investigators say the group used legal exports as cover. Cocaine was allegedly hidden in containers carrying cement, coffee sacks and mortar. Federal Police also searched a lemon-exporting company in Urânia, a city in northwest São Paulo state, on suspicion that it formed part of the logistics chain.

The trafficking methods allegedly went beyond physical concealment. Police say the group used chemical processes to disguise the drug, including diluting cocaine inside soft-drink bottles to reduce the risk of detection by customs scanners.

The alleged laundering structure was similarly elaborate. O Globo reported that investigators identified links to parallel-market cryptocurrency operators, shell companies, firms created to issue fake invoices, luxury goods and high-end property purchases.

Those investigated may face charges including participation in a transnational criminal organization, sending narcotics abroad and money laundering. The operation was carried out under Mission Redentor II and had support from the Integrated Force to Combat Organized Crime, known in Portuguese as FICCO, in São Paulo and Minas Gerais.

This article is based on single-source reporting from O Globo.