Brazilian man wanted for 29 offences captured by Interpol in Santa Cruz; to be extradited today
Julio César Lopes dos Santos Souza was detained at 06:45 on Wednesday in Santa Cruz. His handover to Brazil is scheduled for Thursday at 13:40.
Brazilian wanted for 29 offences arrested in Santa Cruz following Supreme Court order
Interpol agents captured Brazilian citizen Julio César Lopes dos Santos Souza at 06:45 on Wednesday in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, according to El Deber. Required by Brazilian justice for at least 29 offences, the foreign national will be handed over to Brazilian authorities on Thursday, 5 November at 13:40, through an expulsion procedure from Bolivian territory.
Among the offences against him are kidnapping, drug trafficking, murder, homicide, robbery, criminal organisation and conspiracy, according to a police report accessed by El Deber. The complete list of the 29 cases and the circumstances of each have not been publicly disclosed to date.
The detention raises questions about the performance of Bolivian authorities: Lopes dos Santos had already been arrested in Bolivia in July 2024, when he attempted to process migration documentation under the false identity of Julio César Carvalho. On that occasion he received thirty days preventive detention and was transferred to Palmasola prison, according to Brazilian press reports.
To this record is added Supreme Decree 53/2025, issued on 6 May 2025 by the Full Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ), which ordered his preventive detention for purposes of extradition at the request of the Brazilian Embassy. The diplomatic request had been submitted on 6 December 2024, based on an extradition request dated 17 July of that same year.
The TSJ ruling identifies two criminal proceedings with sentences from 2018 and 2021, in which Lopes dos Santos was convicted of simple homicide, aggravated robbery and drug trafficking. The court ordered execution of the detention warrant with support from Interpol and the Bolivian Police, and indicated that according to the information received, the citizen allegedly was held in a rehabilitation centre in Santa Cruz.
The latest arrest raises questions about how the Brazilian recovered his freedom despite the 2024 detention and the 2025 court order, as well as about the effective compliance with TSJ provisions.
Source: El Deber