On October 24, 2020, the Brazilian Federal Police (PF, in Portuguese) seized 1,060 kilograms of Bolivian cocaine paste, in the Vale do Guaporé region, a municipality in Comodoro, Mato Grosso state.
The drug was seized during an operation coordinated with the PF, the Mato Grosso Military Police, the Special Border Group (GEFRON, in Portuguese), the Air Operations Integrated Center (CIOPAER, in Portuguese), and the state of Goiás Air Service.
“Thirty police officers participated in the operation from the states of Mato Grosso, Rondônia, and Goiás, with a helicopter and various vehicles on the ground,” the PF said in a statement.
The agents were deployed following a call made to a police hotline about possible international drug trafficking. “The information was about a suspicious helicopter that flew over the region,” informed the GEFRON.
CIOPAER agents saw that the helicopter landed in the jungle and delivered several blue packages to a silver pickup truck. The helicopter returned to Bolivia right after.
“During the searches in the jungle region, GEFRON ground teams found several holes in the ground made by suspects to hide the drug,” said the GEFRON.
In two holes, agents found 20 blue packages containing cocaine paste. The pickup truck and the drugs were sent to the Rondônia PF. Another pickup truck, black in color, which traffickers also used, managed to escape.
“The investigations to identify all individuals involved in the crime, who will be charged with international drug trafficking and organized crime, are ongoing,” informed the PF.
The paste was incinerated on October 27, in Vilhena, Rondônia. On that same day, the PF launched Operation Smoke-Free to dismantle the group responsible for the distribution of illegal cigarettes from Paraguay in the state of Paraná.
“Six search and seizure warrants were executed. One person was arrested after about 1,800 cartons of cigarettes were located at the target’s private and commercial addresses,” the PF said.
“In addition to the arrest, information was collected on the leader of the organization responsible for the distribution of the illegal product,” the PF concluded.
