Brazilian gang linked to PCC steals nearly one million euros and flees Portugal without extradition
A network of bank robberies led by Brazilians stole approximately one million euros in Portugal and returned to Brazil after being released due to expiry of detention time.
Gang leader released due to expiry of detention time and returns to Brazil with stolen money
Ediel Nery headed a bank robbery network in Portugal that, in just over a year, accumulated around one million euros in robberies using firearms and physical violence, reports Correio da Manhã. The group, composed of Brazilian citizens and allegedly linked to PCC — Primeiro Comando da Capital — has already returned to Brazil after being released in October due to expiry of pre-trial detention time.
The decision that permitted the gang's departure from Portugal was not made by the responsible judge within legal timeframes. With pre-trial detention exhausted without a sentence, the defendants regained their freedom. And as there is no extradition regime in place between Portugal and Brazil applicable in this context, the group was able to return to their country of origin without any immediate legal consequences.
Violence as method and silence as rule
Members of the network operated under a clear rule: anyone who betrayed the group would be executed. None did. This forced loyalty ensured the gang's cohesion throughout the entire criminal operation and during the period of detention in Portugal.
With the stolen money, members of the group purchased luxury cars and sent thousands of euros to Brazil while still in activity. Banking institutions were the systematic target, always under threat of firearms and with resort to violence against staff and clients present.
One year and four months of pre-trial detention, then freedom
The gang was detained by Portuguese authorities but remained in pre-trial detention for one year and four months without the case progressing to trial within legal timeframes. Portuguese law establishes maximum limits for the duration of pre-trial detention — when these limits are exceeded without a judicial decision, the defendants have the right to be released.
It was precisely this legal mechanism that permitted the gang members' departure. In October, without a conviction, Nery and his associates left Portuguese prisons.
Return to Brazil without immediate consequences
The absence of an effective extradition treaty between Portugal and Brazil for such situations made it impossible to detain the defendants or hand them over to Brazilian authorities for crimes committed in Portugal. The group returned to Brazil, where they could benefit from the proceeds of the robberies, without any mechanism of judicial cooperation having prevented this outcome.
The case raises questions about the limits of procedural timeframes and the effectiveness of international cooperation instruments in criminal matters when suspects are nationals of countries outside the European space.
Source: Correio da Manhã