Urioste links PCC to jewellery store robbery in Santa Cruz following Mariaca's fall
The attorney general connected the detention of former prosecutor Mariaca to the armed robbery at jewellery store Imperio. The investigation into the criminal network is expanding with technical reinforcement.
Attorney general points to PCC following jewellery store robbery in Santa Cruz
The State attorney general, José Armando Urioste, linked the First Command of the Capital (PCC) on Monday to the violent robbery on Sunday at jewellery store Imperio, located in the Patio Design shopping centre on the third ring road and Avenida Busch in Santa Cruz de la Sierra. According to El Deber, the hypothesis emerged in the context of an investigation into the alleged criminal network linked to former prosecutor Róger Mariaca.
"This case is taking on very significant dimensions," Urioste said during a press conference in Trinidad, Beni. The official announced that the panel of prosecutors in charge of the investigation would be reinforced this week with specialised technical equipment, as new information is obtained about how the criminal structure operated, which allegedly functioned from within State institutions.
Mariaca's fall would have cut off the flow of cash to organised crime
Urioste drew a direct connection between the detention of the former prosecutor and the financial difficulties of criminal organisations active in Bolivia. "From the moment of Mariaca's arrest, I believe organised crime has been left without cash and that is driving them to desperation," he stated.
Under this interpretation, the attorney general considered that the robbery at jewellery store Imperio would respond to the need of criminal syndicates to obtain resources following the interruption of their usual sources of financing. "You saw yesterday a robbery which we consider to be by the notorious PCC at a jewellery store and that is demonstrating that the mechanism for cash income to the mafias has been cut off," he stated.
However, during the press conference Urioste presented no concrete evidence to support this financial link or confirm PCC participation in the theft. The identity of the robbers remains subject to police investigation.
Four armed men broke into the premises and fled on motorcycles
The robbery occurred around 19:00 on Sunday, when four armed criminals arrived on two motorcycles at the shopping centre. The men entered the jewellery store, fired shots, smashed display cases and removed high-value items before fleeing.
The gunshots sparked scenes of panic among customers and workers, who sought refuge in nearby shops. The shopping centre management reported that there were no injuries. Security cameras recorded part of the operation, which was carried out in a matter of minutes. Subsequently, the police activated Plan Z, mobilised specialised units and found a motorcycle that was believed to have been used during the getaway.
Suspicions of a possible PCC involvement were also expressed by the secretary of citizen security of the departmental government of Santa Cruz, Jorge Santistevan, who noted that the jewellery store had suffered robberies previously in Santa Cruz and Cochabamba and considered it likely that members of Brazilian criminal organisations were involved.
The investigation into Mariaca continues to expand
Mariaca remains in preventive detention at Cantumarca prison in Potosí, in proceedings linked to alleged offences of criminal organisation, trafficking in controlled substances and money laundering. The investigation seeks to establish the existence of a protection structure for drug trafficking and its possible institutional connections.
"Here we have an extremely large criminal organisation, embedded in the Bolivian State, and we have to remove that cyst," Urioste said. The attorney general did not identify any new suspects nor reveal the evidence obtained so far, although he insisted that the organisation would have managed to become embedded in different State departments. "You know that this organisation was embedded throughout Bolivia," he added when justifying the internal reorganisation measures of the Public Ministry.
Internal reorganisation and call for prosecutors' competition
Parallel to the investigations, Urioste announced in Beni transfers of officials between the provinces and the departmental capital, as well as individual assessments of prosecutors to determine their continuity in their posts. He assured that pending cases must be pursued without any cover-up of persons involved in corruption or criminal activities.
The attorney general also announced a public call for the selection of departmental prosecutors through a merit-based competition, amid the institutional review that is proceeding while the investigation into the structure that allegedly operated during Mariaca's tenure continues.
"The investigation will continue. Each day that passes, every minute that passes, we obtain more information," Urioste reaffirmed.
Source: El Deber