High-ranking PCC member arrested in Bolivia with arrest warrant outstanding in Brazil for drug trafficking
Bolivia detained a suspected high-ranking member of the PCC sought in Brazil for drug trafficking, arms trafficking and organised crime. He had accumulated 1.3 tonnes of cocaine in Brazilian territory.
PCC member with pending sentence arrested in Bolivia
The Bolivian Government announced on Wednesday the arrest of Delemberg de Souza, identified as a high-ranking member of the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC), according to eju.tv. The detainee had arrest warrants in Brazil for drug trafficking, arms trafficking and organised crime, and a prior conviction of 10 years imprisonment in that country.
Government Minister Marco Antonio Oviedo confirmed the charges: "This individual has arrest warrants in Brazil for drug trafficking, arms trafficking and organised crimes carried out in Brazil". Oviedo added that De Souza had accumulated 1.3 tonnes of cocaine in a Brazilian municipality.
The arrest resulted from a coordinated operation between the Bolivian Police, Brazilian authorities and special border groups. According to Oviedo, the detainee played a central role within the structure of the PCC in the state of Mato Grosso.
The General Commander of Police, Adrián Álvarez, detailed the operational role of the detainee: "The function of this high-ranking member of the PCC was to coordinate the transport of controlled substances from Bolivia to Brazil". Álvarez noted that De Souza operated in Mato Grosso, in Brazilian territory, and was based in the municipality of San Ignacio de Velasco in the Cruz department of Bolivia. He was also linked to money laundering from Santa Cruz.
Oviedo indicated that De Souza's last recorded entry into Bolivia was on 18 March 2024, which makes his stay in the country irregular. The minister placed the arrest within a broader police strategy: "We are carrying out a task of arrests, dismantling the people who were committing murders and whom the Police are continuously dismantling".
Source: Google News BO — Crime