Brazilian drug-trafficking suspect killed in Santa Cruz
A Brazilian citizen wanted by his country since 2012 for international drug trafficking was shot dead in the Equipetrol area.
Brazilian drug-trafficking suspect killed in Santa Cruz
An individual of Brazilian origin who was fleeing legal proceedings in his homeland for illegal trafficking of psychotropic substances on an international scale was violently murdered last Friday evening in Santa Cruz de la Sierra. The deceased was identified as Rodrigo Ramos De Andrade.
Sources linked to the FELCC and the prosecution office revealed to El Deber that an arrest warrant against this man had been in effect in Brazilian territory for more than a decade. In order to evade the reach of law enforcement in his country, he apparently crossed the border into Bolivia and had settled in the capital of the eastern department.
SEGIP confirmed that the deceased held a foreign identity card under number 17660991, with a legal address on Avenida San Martín. Representatives of the Public Prosecution Office demanded that the state agency provide complete documentation of the deceased in order to clarify whether his arrival took place by road or by plane.
The homicide occurred inside a commercial establishment on the third ring road, in the Equipetrol sector. According to eyewitnesses, several hit men carried out the attack and subsequently fled in a grey-coloured truck. The official autopsy established that death resulted from nine bullet wounds, evidence pointing to a possible confrontation between criminal factions.
The day after the crime, FELCC personnel, coordinated by prosecutors Yolanda Aguilera and Rose María Barrientos—both specialised in crimes against human life—carried out four domestic searches. The first was conducted at the residence of the deceased, located on the third inner ring 711 in the Equipetrol area, a short distance from where the attack occurred. The three remaining searches took place in residential complexes in the areas of Avenida San Martín, Equipetrol and the fourth ring road.
In the course of these operations, uniformed officers seized papers, technological devices and other items from the locations where the South American had customarily met with his contacts.
The investigations demonstrated that Ramos De Andrade had no properties registered in his name, limiting himself to living in different condominiums through rental contracts. To date, the occupation he held whilst residing on Bolivian soil has not been identified.
The body of the national remains in the forensic facility, and to the present time, no family member or acquaintance has come forward to request its release.
Source: El Deber