Two murders in San Ignacio de Velasco linked to PCC and drug trafficking
Two men aged 36 and 22 were murdered minutes apart in San Ignacio de Velasco. Police point to the PCC and drug trafficking as the motive.
Double homicide in San Ignacio points to Primer Comando de la Capital
Two men were murdered just 15 minutes apart in the early hours of Sunday in the municipality of San Ignacio de Velasco, Santa Cruz. According to El Deber, the departmental police commander, Edson Fernández, stated that initial investigations link both crimes to drug trafficking and, in one of the cases, to a possible settling of scores between members of the Brazilian criminal organisation Primer Comando de la Capital (PCC).
The first murder occurred around 01:30. The victim was identified as Rodrigo Oliveira Zeballos, aged 36, brother of the president of the Association of Cattle Ranchers of San Ignacio. An initial review of police databases showed no criminal record in the deceased's name.
"We know these are matters linked to drug trafficking," Fernández said when referring to the incidents being investigated in San Ignacio.
Approximately 15 minutes later, police officers received a report of the discovery of a second man dead inside a property. The victim was identified as Gabriel Posiabo Fernández, aged 22—initially reported as 18 years old, a figure that authorities later corrected.
Police point to a criminal faction
According to the commander's preliminary information, investigators are working with the hypothesis that Gabriel Posiabo Fernández was a member of a criminal faction and that his death resulted from a settling of scores over illegal activities. Fernández clarified that police information initially points to both the victim and the hitmen belonging to the PCC, although he noted that investigations are ongoing and that teams deployed in San Ignacio are working to precisely establish the motive for both homicides.
One version circulating indicates that the attackers made a video call before executing the young man. Fernández explained that such actions can be related to internal disputes between criminal factions: these groups use their own communication channels to spread information about violent acts with the aim of intimidating rivals. The police chief, however, avoided providing details that could cause alarm among the population. The video call version will need to be corroborated by reviewing mobile telephones and other items collected during investigations.
Reinforcement of the Safe Border Plan
Fernández confirmed that police deployed specialised personnel in San Ignacio de Velasco to clarify the two crimes and announced a reinforcement of operations under the so-called Safe Border Plan. "We are in constant coordination with our superior officers and they will have positive results," he assured.
Investigators are now working on reconstructing both incidents, identifying the perpetrators, and determining possible links between the victims and criminal organisations active in the border zone.
Police are maintaining these hypotheses as part of an ongoing investigation. The progress of the investigation will determine whether the two murders were effectively related to drug trafficking or to a dispute between factions of organised crime.
Source: El Deber