Spain and Portugal were the recipients of a large part of the cocaine intervened in the dismantled networks / Two contaminated containers and an organization dedicated to 'torpedoes’ on high-class ships, at the center of the criminal scene
Spain, Portugal and Morocco were some of the destination points of the cocaine shipments related to the three operations carried out by the Receita Federal and the Federal Police of Brazil in the ports of Santos and Salvador de Bahia between Tuesday and Wednesday. The first two resulted in significant seizures of drugs in maritime containers, while the last, which involved hundreds of agents, included almost 40 house searches and ten people arrested as part of a multinational scheme that served to take the substance from the South American country to Europe, but also to Asia.
The first operation took place on Tuesday afternoon, when the Receita Federal seized 969 kilos of cocaine in the port of Salvador. The drug was inside a cargo of ore that was heading to Belgium and, specifically, to the port of Antwerp, inside a ship, in bales hidden among the merchandise.
On the morning of Thursday, November 7, the Receita Federal thwarted another attempt to ship 605 kilos of cocaine abroad through the Port of Santos. At the same time, the Federal Police were carrying out a major operation with an epicenter in the same port, although in that case it was focused on the aforementioned network that polluted merchant shipping chests, or even that was capable of hoisting the drugs to ships with the ship already at sea.
The drug, hidden in a shipment of 13 tons of frozen açaí, was intercepted during routine surveillance and customs repression carried out by Santos Customs teams. The container would be transshipped at the port of Tangier-Med, in Morocco, but the destination of the cargo would be Portugal. The contamination occurred on four of the eighteen pallets containing the cargo. The images show that the traffickers packed the boxes with packages of cocaine in the middle of these four platforms surrounded by boxes containing the original cargo.
After the contamination was confirmed, the Receita called the Federal Police to carry out the procedures and conduct the investigation at the scene
On the same Thursday, the Federal Police launched, with the support of the Military Police of São Paulo, Operation Taeguk, which aims to dismantle a criminal organization responsible for transnational drug trafficking from Brazilian ports, especially the Port of Santos.
The scheme was responsible for the insertion of more than a ton of narcotics (cocaine and marijuana) on large vessels, capable of transoceanic voyages, destined to supply the European and Asian markets.
Approximately 200 federal police officers are on the streets to execute ten preventive arrest warrants and 39 search and seizure warrants at homes located in the states of São Paulo (São Paulo capital, Santos, Guarujá, São Vicente, Praia Grande, Bertioga, Caraguatatuba and Paraibuna), Rio de Janeiro (Duque de Caxias), Pará (Belém and Barcarena) and Maranhão (São Luís).
The investigations revealed that the scheme involved people with experience in underwater diving who took advantage of that knowledge to provide services to other criminal organizations by contaminating the submerged trunks of ships located in the anchoring areas of Brazilian ports with drugs.
After the insertion of cocaine, the nucleus of the criminal organization located in Brazilian territory had the support of a network of divers around the world to take the drug out in other countries. At least seven transnational drug trafficking events were identified, all in 2024, linked to the activities of this criminal organization, totaling approximately more than one ton of seized narcotics.
The investigations also revealed that those involved used, in addition to the contamination of the marine trunks, other ways of introducing drugs into ships, such as the lifting method, for which the ship's crew members necessarily participate in the placement and concealment of the drugs, since the cargo is hoisted on the high seas from small boats to large merchantmen.
The persons related to the investigated facts may be held responsible, each one within their area of responsibility, for the crimes of transnational narcotics trafficking, association for trafficking purposes, as well as for the crime of criminal organization. The penalties imposed can exceed 35 years in prison, not counting the increase linked to the transnationality of crimes.
The investigation had the participation of the DEA office, the Brazilian Navy, as well as requests for international legal cooperation in criminal matters, with essential support from partner countries such as South Korea, the People's Republic of China and Spain.
Spain, Portugal and Morocco were some of the destination points of the cocaine shipments related to the three operations carried out by the Receita Federal and the Federal Police of Brazil in the ports of Santos and Salvador de Bahia between Tuesday and Wednesday. The first two resulted in significant seizures of drugs in maritime containers, while the last, which involved hundreds of agents, included almost 40 house searches and ten people arrested as part of a multinational scheme that served to take the substance from the South American country to Europe, but also to Asia.
The first operation took place on Tuesday afternoon, when the Receita Federal seized 969 kilos of cocaine in the port of Salvador. The drug was inside a cargo of ore that was heading to Belgium and, specifically, to the port of Antwerp, inside a ship, in bales hidden among the merchandise.
On the morning of Thursday, November 7, the Receita Federal thwarted another attempt to ship 605 kilos of cocaine abroad through the Port of Santos. At the same time, the Federal Police were carrying out a major operation with an epicenter in the same port, although in that case it was focused on the aforementioned network that polluted merchant shipping chests, or even that was capable of hoisting the drugs to ships with the ship already at sea.
The drug, hidden in a shipment of 13 tons of frozen açaí, was intercepted during routine surveillance and customs repression carried out by Santos Customs teams. The container would be transshipped at the port of Tangier-Med, in Morocco, but the destination of the cargo would be Portugal. The contamination occurred on four of the eighteen pallets containing the cargo. The images show that the traffickers packed the boxes with packages of cocaine in the middle of these four platforms surrounded by boxes containing the original cargo.
After the contamination was confirmed, the Receita called the Federal Police to carry out the procedures and conduct the investigation at the scene
On the same Thursday, the Federal Police launched, with the support of the Military Police of São Paulo, Operation Taeguk, which aims to dismantle a criminal organization responsible for transnational drug trafficking from Brazilian ports, especially the Port of Santos.
The scheme was responsible for the insertion of more than a ton of narcotics (cocaine and marijuana) on large vessels, capable of transoceanic voyages, destined to supply the European and Asian markets.
Approximately 200 federal police officers are on the streets to execute ten preventive arrest warrants and 39 search and seizure warrants at homes located in the states of São Paulo (São Paulo capital, Santos, Guarujá, São Vicente, Praia Grande, Bertioga, Caraguatatuba and Paraibuna), Rio de Janeiro (Duque de Caxias), Pará (Belém and Barcarena) and Maranhão (São Luís).
The investigations revealed that the scheme involved people with experience in underwater diving who took advantage of that knowledge to provide services to other criminal organizations by contaminating the submerged trunks of ships located in the anchoring areas of Brazilian ports with drugs.
After the insertion of cocaine, the nucleus of the criminal organization located in Brazilian territory had the support of a network of divers around the world to take the drug out in other countries. At least seven transnational drug trafficking events were identified, all in 2024, linked to the activities of this criminal organization, totaling approximately more than one ton of seized narcotics.
The investigations also revealed that those involved used, in addition to the contamination of the marine trunks, other ways of introducing drugs into ships, such as the lifting method, for which the ship's crew members necessarily participate in the placement and concealment of the drugs, since the cargo is hoisted on the high seas from small boats to large merchantmen.
The persons related to the investigated facts may be held responsible, each one within their area of responsibility, for the crimes of transnational narcotics trafficking, association for trafficking purposes, as well as for the crime of criminal organization. The penalties imposed can exceed 35 years in prison, not counting the increase linked to the transnationality of crimes.
The investigation had the participation of the DEA office, the Brazilian Navy, as well as requests for international legal cooperation in criminal matters, with essential support from partner countries such as South Korea, the People's Republic of China and Spain.