PCC member arrested in Santa Cruz following domestic incident in Bolivia
Bolivian Police arrested Marco de Oliveira Ferreira, identified as a senior member of the PCC, who was living under a false identity in Santa Cruz.
Senior PCC member captured in Santa Cruz with false identity
Bolivian Police detained Marco de Oliveira Ferreira in Santa Cruz, identified as "a senior member" of the First Command of the Capital (PCC), one of Brazil's most dangerous criminal organisations. According to abc.com.py, the arrest took place on Friday following attention to a "domestic incident" in a popular area of the eastern city.
Bolivian Police commander Adrián Álvarez confirmed that Ferreira was "irregularly present in national territory" and had been living under a false identity since leaving Brazil. Álvarez detailed that the detainee has "an extensive criminal record for offences including drug trafficking, contract killings and criminal organisation", with three outstanding arrest warrants against him.
Officers arrived at the scene due to the domestic incident and discovered that the individual was being sought by the police intelligence unit. Álvarez indicated that all current protocols were followed and an expulsion order was issued for the country, which would be executed in the following hours.
Context: violence on the border with Brazil
The detention comes at a time of increasing tension in the border zones between Bolivia and Brazil. The government of Rodrigo Paz recently launched the 'Safe Borders Plan' in response to a series of violent incidents recorded in Santa Cruz in recent months, including the shooting deaths of four civilians and an intelligence officer in the town of San Matías in August.
The Government maintains that several of these crimes are linked to the dispute between the PCC and the Red Command (CV) for control of drug trafficking routes on the Bolivia-Brazil border. This confrontation has intensified violence in regions such as Chiquitania and the Bolivian Amazon.
Police cooperation with Brazil and the United States
In recent weeks, Paz's Government announced that Brazil's Federal Police will soon open a permanent office in Bolivia to strengthen the fight against criminal organisations and improve information sharing between the two countries.
Last week, the Minister of Government, Marco Antonio Oviedo, also announced the establishment of two elite units in areas close to the border with Brazil, with United States backing, aimed at combating violence attributed to networks linked to drug trafficking.
Source: Google News BO — Crime