Four arrested in Riberalta for murder linked to Comando Vermelho and Los Choleros
The Public Prosecutor's Office will seek preventive detention in Chonchocoro for three Brazilians and a Bolivian implicated in the murder of Freddy Gonzales Bazán, which occurred on 17 September.
Public Prosecutor's Office seeks Chonchocoro detention for those implicated in narco crime in Riberalta
Three Brazilian citizens and a Bolivian were arrested for their alleged participation in the murder of Freddy Gonzales Bazán, 29 years old, which occurred on 17 September in Riberalta, Beni department. According to El Deber, the Public Prosecutor's Office will request preventive detention of the four investigated individuals at the maximum security prison in Chonchocoro, in La Paz.
Government Minister Marco Antonio Oviedo presented the results of the investigation on Tuesday at a press conference held in Riberalta. "We will be relentless in our response against crime in our country," Oviedo declared. The official maintained that the crime would have been committed within the framework of a dispute between the Bolivian gang 'Los Choleros' and the Brazilian criminal organisation Comando Vermelho, both linked to drug trafficking.
The general commander of the Bolivian Police, Adrián Álvarez, identified the arrested individuals as Diego O. E., a 19-year-old Bolivian; Gean Carlos A. D. S., a 50-year-old Brazilian; Pinehero G. E., a 37-year-old Brazilian; and Francimar G. D. S., a 35-year-old Brazilian. Two of the investigated individuals would have direct links with Comando Vermelho, according to police information.
Diego O. E. has at least ten prior convictions in Bolivia for offences including aggravated theft, larceny, evasion and homicide. The three Brazilian citizens, for their part, have prior convictions linked to drug and weapons offences. The case of Francimar G. D. S. resulted in his immediate expulsion from the country: the Police informed that he is serving a sentence of more than eleven years in prison in Brazil for drug trafficking, so he was handed over this afternoon to Brazilian authorities.
During the operations, agents seized two 9-millimetre pistols with 21 cartridges, a 32-calibre revolver with 11 cartridges, seven mobile telephones and a Toyota Hilux van with a theft report from Argentina. All these items will be incorporated into the case file to establish their relationship to the murder and to determine the possible participation of other persons.
The Police also highlighted coordination with Brazil's Federal Police and the Public Prosecutor's Office during the development of the investigations. The four arrested individuals were placed at the disposal of the Public Prosecutor's Office, which is preparing formal charges and will request preventive detention in Chonchocoro from a judge. The judicial authority will have to determine the procedural situation of each defendant based on the evidence provided by the Public Prosecutor's Office.
The Police note that both the victim and the alleged perpetrators would have had some degree of involvement in drug trafficking activities, although individual responsibilities will have to be established during the judicial process. Oviedo indicated that the case is part of the Government's actions against transnational criminal structures and announced the strengthening of operations in the country's border areas.
Source: El Deber