Six Brazilians detained in Bolivia over Chiquitania murders linked to CV and PCC
Bolivia arrested six Brazilian citizens and a minor linked to the Comando Vermelho following a series of at least four murders in San Ignacio de Velasco.
Police-military operation on Bolivian border results in six Brazilian detentions
According to infobae.com, Bolivian authorities confirmed the detention of six Brazilian citizens and a Bolivian adolescent allegedly linked to the criminal organisation Comando Vermelho (CV) and a series of homicides recorded in the border region of Chiquitania.
The Ministry of Government announced that, from Monday onwards, it deployed a plan to reinforce police and military presence in San Ignacio de Velasco, a locality located 367 kilometres north-east of Santa Cruz. The operation, coordinated with the Public Prosecutor's Office, included elite units and aimed to identify those responsible for at least four murders.
The detainees were identified as Moisés D.s.P., Pablo S., Pedro Enrique L.F., Ayrton D.S., Rafael F.d.S. and Gustavo A.d.S. The Bolivian Police noted that all have criminal records for drug trafficking, contract killing and murder in Brazilian territory.
Police commander Adrián Álvarez specified that two of the six foreigners will remain in Bolivia, given that they face open criminal proceedings for offences committed within the country. In parallel, authorities confirmed the expulsion of a man classified as "extremely dangerous" linked to the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC), in an action coordinated on Saturday with Brazil's Federal Police.
The escalation of violence that prompted the operation began on Monday, when two unknown individuals broke into a residence where two young people were conducting a live broadcast on TikTok to sell motorcycles. The attackers photographed them and subsequently shot them dead. A day earlier, in the same locality, a 36-year-old man received 25 gunshots and a 22-year-old young man was murdered hours later.
In response to the wave of crimes, the governor of Santa Cruz, Juan Pablo Velasco, demanded that the Government "militarise" Chiquitania and warned that the entire department was "on edge".
The government of Rodrigo Paz attributed the events to the dispute between the PCC and the CV over control of drug trafficking routes on the border with Bolivia. The Ministry of Government stated that both organisations are "dangerous" and have maintained "a permanent and continuous presence for a long time" in the country.
Source: Google News BO — Crime