On October 29, a Cessna 206 aircraft with Bolivian registration CP-2662 was forced to make an emergency landing on a rural property in Rosário Oeste, Mato Grosso, Brazil. The plane, which was carrying approximately 400 kilograms of cocaine, reportedly experienced fuel exhaustion, resulting in an unscheduled landing.
Upon touchdown, local ranch workers initially detained the pilot, identified as Bolivian national José Fernandez. However, he attempted to escape into nearby woods but was ultimately contained by guard dogs and later apprehended by local police.
Authorities from the Special Operations Group (GOE) and the Anti-Narcotics Division (DRE), along with forensic teams, responded to the site from Cuiabá. Fernandez admitted to transporting the cocaine from Bolivia, stating that the plane had been loaded in the Bolivian region of Pando. In addition to the cocaine, officers recovered a 9mm pistol from the pilot.
The seized narcotics, totaling 354 packets, were sealed in plastic bags and will be transferred to Cuiabá for processing and weighing by the Legal Medical Institute (IML). Fernandez faces international drug trafficking charges, and officials report that another individual associated with the case remains at large.
This incident highlights the ongoing challenge of drug trafficking through Mato Grosso, a known corridor for cocaine moving from Bolivia into Brazil. The Federal Police (PF) notes that approximately 20% of Brazil’s cocaine seizures occur in this region. According to DRE Chief Alana Cardoso, this is likely one of the largest cocaine seizures in Mato Grosso this year, and the presence of powdered cocaine rather than base paste, which is more typical in this area, has prompted further investigation.
