Six Brazilians detained in Bolivia for murders linked to Comando Vermelho in Chiquitania
Bolivia captured six Brazilians and a Bolivian adolescent linked to organised crime following at least four murders in San Ignacio de Velasco.
Police and military operation at Bolivian border results in six Brazilians detained
According to elnuevodiario.com.do, Bolivian authorities arrested six Brazilian citizens and a Bolivian adolescent allegedly linked to the criminal organisation Comando Vermelho (CV), as part of an investigation into a series of murders recorded in the border region of Chiquitania.
The Ministry of Government announced that from Monday it is executing a police and military reinforcement plan centred on the locality of San Ignacio de Velasco, 367 kilometres northeast of Santa Cruz. Elite units of the police and army, in coordination with the Public Prosecutor's Office, deployed a "strategic plan" to identify those responsible for at least four murders.
The operations resulted in the detention of Moisés D.s.P., Pablo S., Pedro Enrique L.F., Ayrton D.S., Rafael F.d.S. and Gustavo A.d.S. Bolivia's police force states that all six have records for "drug trafficking, contract killing and murder" in Brazil.
Police commander Adrián Álvarez specified that two of those detained will remain in Bolivia for being involved in crimes committed on Bolivian territory, with "a criminal proceeding" already opened against them. The remaining four will be processed in accordance with agreements between the two countries.
In parallel, Bolivian authorities confirmed the expulsion of a man classified as "highly dangerous" linked to the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC), in an action coordinated on Saturday with the Brazilian Federal Police.
The escalation of violence was triggered on Monday when two foreigners burst into a residence in San Ignacio de Velasco, where two young people were conducting a TikTok broadcast to sell motorcycles. The attackers photographed them and shot them dead. One day earlier, two other crimes were recorded in the same locality: a 36-year-old man received 25 shots and, hours later, a 22-year-old youth was murdered.
In view of the seriousness of the events, the governor of Santa Cruz, Juan Pablo Velasco, demanded that the Government "militarise" the Chiquitania region to confront organised crime, and warned that the entire department "is on edge".
The Government of Rodrigo Paz attributed the murders to the dispute between the PCC and the CV for control of drug trafficking routes at the border with Bolivia. The Ministry of Government classified both organisations as "dangerous" and stated that they have maintained a "permanent and continuous presence" in the country for "a long time".
Source: Google News BO — Crime