The Brazilian Federal Highway Police (PRF, in Portuguese) and Federal Police (PF, in Portuguese) seized more than 4 tons of marijuana during two operations.
On January 22, 2021, the PRF seized 2,560 kilograms of marijuana in Marechal Cândido Rondon, in the western region of Paraná state. The drug was hidden in a truck that was driving along highway BR-163, which connects southern to northern Brazil.
“When police officers approached the semi-trailer, they smelled the odor of marijuana and asked the man to remove the vehicle’s tarp to allow them to inspect the cargo,” said the PRF in a statement.
“When the agents inspected the corn, they found bales of the drug that stood out among the grain load,” said the PRF.
On January 24, the PF seized 1,525 kg of marijuana during routine surveillance on highway PE-90, in Pernambuco state. The drug was also being transported in a truck and concealed among bags of corn.
Agents detected the illegal trafficking thanks to sniffing dogs that led them to the body of the vehicle.
The driver showed an invoice for 220 bags of corn, however there were only 107. The marijuana took up the rest of the space, and was concealed in 81 large bags wrapped with adhesive tape, in the center of the vehicle’s body.
According to the PF, narcotraffickers use that strategy to cover up drug transport. The suspect was arrested on the spot, and charged with interstate narcotrafficking.
“If convicted, he may face a sentence of five to 10 years in prison,” informed the PF.
