PCC recruiters in Santa Cruz had a "Blood Contract" on their mobile phones
Five Brazilians charged in Bolivia were operating with a digital document that prohibited leaving the PCC alive. Brazil confirmed pending arrest warrants against all of them.
"You can only leave dead": the PCC and its digital contract found in Santa Cruz
A digital file called "Blood Contract", which stipulated that members of the First Command of the Capital (PCC) could only leave the organisation dead, was found on the mobile phone of one of the Brazilian recruiters apprehended in Santa Cruz de la Sierra. The state's attorney general, José Armando Urioste, revealed the details of the discovery on Tuesday, according to El Deber.
"It is detailed that you can only leave the PCC dead," Urioste stated when referring to the content of the document found on the mobile phone of Caique Pinhero A., one of those detained in the capital of Cruz.
Five Brazilians charged with arms trafficking and criminal association
The attorney general identified the five Brazilian citizens charged: Daniel Luis I.A., Caique Pinhero A., Clayber C. A., Caique Antonio R. M. and Guillermo Coelho S. All were prosecuted for criminal association, illicit arms trafficking and offences linked to illegal possession and carrying of weapons. The five were placed at the disposal of a judge for the definition of their precautionary measures.
During the raids, the Police seized an automatic pistol calibre 38, ammunition of the same calibre, electronic devices and SIM cards from different telephone companies. The analysis of these elements seeks to establish the activities and possible connections of the group in Bolivian territory.
Two operations in Santa Cruz and a Bolivian also detained
The Special Force for Fighting Crime (Felcc) reported the apprehension of six suspected PCC recruiters in two operations carried out in Santa Cruz: five Brazilians and a Bolivian. The head of the Felcc's departmental unit, colonel Abidón Espinoza, noted that two of those apprehended have records in Brazil for drug trafficking, criminal organisation and aggravated robbery.
The group's connection to the PCC was established, according to Espinoza, based on conversations found on their mobile phones relating to weapons, ammunition and recruitment of people.
The first operation took place at 02:24 on Sunday, 1 November, in the vicinity of the second ring of the capital of Cruz. Two Brazilians were intercepted after attempting to escape upon noticing the presence of police officers. In a rucksack they were carrying, a pistol and a magazine with 16 bullets were found.
Subsequently, investigators raided a condominium where they found Brazilian documentation, ammunition boxes and mobile devices. The examination of the devices revealed conversations which, according to the Police, demonstrated recruitment tasks and activities related to the trafficking and transport of weapons.
Espinoza indicated that the investigation continues and that there are other people possibly involved.
Brazil confirms pending arrest warrants against the five detained individuals
The identification of the Brazilian citizens had the support of police agencies in that country. The Civil Police of Mato Grosso reported on 2 November that five of those detained in Santa Cruz had pending arrest warrants in Brazil.
The verification was carried out through coordination between units of Bolivian Intelligence, the State Directorate of Interpol and Arrests of Mato Grosso, and the Civil Police of São Paulo. The five citizens were between 23 and 38 years old and came from the states of Santa Catarina, São Paulo and Maranhão. The Brazilian report confirmed the validity of the arrest warrants, but did not detail the offences attributed individually to each one.
Source: El Deber