Three suspects were arrested in São Paulo, Brazil, after being caught transporting over 200 bricks of cocaine. Officers from the Santos Narcotics Police (Dise) intercepted a truck and an escort vehicle in the town of Paulínia, in the Campinas region of São Paulo’s interior. Police also seized over R$17,000 in cash during the operation.
The cocaine, concealed in cardboard boxes between wooden pallets, had crossed from Paraguay into Brazil, heading towards the coast of São Paulo. Authorities say the drugs were intended for distribution in the Baixada Santista region, a known trafficking route dubbed the “caipira route,” connecting Mato Grosso do Sul to the coastal area.
Investigators suspect the drugs were to be unloaded in Campinas, where traffickers typically transfer shipments from trucks to smaller vehicles for distribution across the state. Police believe the suspects are directly linked to the First Capital Command (PCC), Brazil’s largest criminal faction.
This operation follows several recent arrests of PCC members. A few months ago, police from the same division arrested a top PCC member responsible for overseeing drug shipments into São Paulo. Another PCC leader, wanted for international drug trafficking, was also recently apprehended while transporting cocaine to the coast.
