Survivor of helicopter crash in Iaras arrested with links to PCC and lawyer kidnapping
Paulo Cézar Silva dos Santos, a fugitive since August, was arrested after being rescued from woodland in Iaras (SP) and is under investigation for kidnapping, torture and trafficking.
PCC fugitive rescued from woodland after helicopter crash with expired certificate
One of the survivors of a helicopter crash in densely forested terrain in Iaras (SP) on Sunday (20) has links to the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) and took part in the kidnapping of a lawyer in Cubatão, in the Baixada Santista region. The information was confirmed by the Special Task Force for Combating Organised Crime (Gaeco) in Santos to TV TEM, as reported by g1.globo.com.
The man identified is Paulo Cézar Silva dos Santos, known as "Testinha". He had been a fugitive since 12 August, when he escaped Operation Faithful Patronage — an action that resulted in the death of a faction member. Paulo was subject to outstanding arrest warrants for extortion by means of kidnapping, torture and criminal organisation.
After being rescued in the woodland, Paulo presented a false identity to the authorities. Police verification revealed that he was also wanted for drug trafficking and robbery, resulting in his immediate arrest. At a custody hearing held on Monday (22), the flagrante delicto arrest was converted to preventive detention. TV TEM was unable to reach the accused's defence team.
Paraguayan guaraní raises suspicion of attempted flight
Inside the aircraft, agents found approximately 300,000 guaraní, Paraguay's currency, equivalent to roughly R$ 257.50. The seizure led police to consider the hypothesis that Paulo Cézar was attempting to leave the country. Gaeco reported that the information has already been passed on to the Sectional Police Station in Avaré (SP), which is responsible for investigating the accident.
The lawyer's kidnapping in Cubatão
Criminal lawyer Rafaell Câmara Roque, 36, was kidnapped and held hostage for approximately six hours in a PCC "people's court" in Cubatão in June this year. The incident occurred after he filed a lawsuit against a company controlled by alleged faction member Wagner Rodrigues dos Santos.
The business, located in Guarujá (SP), was of interest to the group because it occupied 440 m² in a port area and included three fishing boats, two cold storage chambers, three prawn-cleaning machines and one ice-making machine.
Rather than being instructed to file a police report, Rafaell was instructed to meet Wagner in a community. "On the way there, I realised I was in trouble. But I was only certain when I got to the shack and saw that it was a people's court," the lawyer recounted. He was detained from 7pm to 1am, subjected to psychological torture by approximately 30 people. Wagner and other criminals participated in the "trial" via video call. Rafaell was released after promising to drop the legal action.
The case prompted Operation Faithful Patronage. José Armerindo Santos de Carvalho, known as "Pio" and "Boqueta", died in a confrontation with military police in São Vicente (SP). Three other men were arrested during the execution of search warrants in Praia Grande (SP).
Helicopter with irregular documentation
The aircraft had departed from Guararema (SP) headed for Londrina (PR) and crashed approximately 360 km from the point of departure. The three victims — pilot, co-pilot and passenger — lost their mobile phones in the impact, but managed to call for help via a tablet with an almost depleted battery.
The three were found conscious, with pain and injuries. The pilot presented the most serious condition: injuries to the lower limbs, the pelvic region and severe back pain. He was removed from the site at around 10:30am. The co-pilot had suspected fractures in the lower limbs and back pain. The passenger — identified later as Paulo Cézar — remained inside the aircraft and was the last victim rescued, at around 12:30pm.
The three were taken to Avaré emergency room, where they remained hospitalised under guard after police identified Paulo Cézar's situation.
The aircraft, registration PT-YBL, is an Agusta A109C twin-engine helicopter with capacity for six people, manufactured by Italian firm Agusta — now incorporated into Leonardo S.p.A. The Certificate of Airworthiness had been cancelled, and the Airworthiness Verification Certificate had been expired since May 2019, according to the National Civil Aviation Agency (Anac) database. The Anac record also lists three restrictions on the aircraft: a court order preventing its transfer, operator in receivership and deceased owner. The helicopter was registered only for private operation, without authorisation for air taxi, scheduled transport, specialised services or training flights.
Source: Google News BR — São Paulo