Brazil smashes drug ring

Seoul News.Net
Wednesday 31st January, 2007 (IANS)

Rio de Janeiro, Jan 30 (Xinhua) The Brazilian Police have smashed an international drug trafficking ring which smuggled cocaine from South America to the US, the European Union and Africa.

The police said 19 alleged members of the ring run by Lebanese citizens in Brazil have been arrested in a massive operation in six states.

Among the arrested is federal agent Kleber Luiz Quilhoes, who was suspected of working as an insider for the gang.

The ring's kingpin, Joseph Nasrallah, was arrested at his flashy home in the municipality of Valinhos, a suburb of Sao Paulo. The police also seized 15 vehicles, two aircrafts and around $50,200.

Acting on information provided by their German counterparts, the police started tracking the gang two years ago. With the cooperation of Portugal, Spain and Belgium, the police have since apprehended 54 people connected to the gang and seized 3.4 tonnes of cocaine.

Email this story to a friend

Comments on this story

Have your say on this story