Civil Police find 1.2 tons of cocaine hidden in Guarujá

The São Paulo Civil Police seized 1.2 tons of cocaine, one of the largest in recent years on the coast of São Paulo. The drug was hidden in a house in Guarujá and was seized during the third phase of Operation Verão, on Wednesday (27).

As reported by the São Paulo Public Security Secretary, the cocaine was packaged in around 1,300 bricks and has a value of approximately R$500 million. The drug charge was found by investigators from the State Department of Criminal Investigations (Deic). A 25-year-old woman was arrested during the operation.

According to investigations, the property is located in a strategic point that makes it possible to transport the drugs to the Port of Santos, where they would probably be loaded onto ships heading abroad. In Europe, a kilo of cocaine can cost between 80 and 90 thousand dollars.

The Secretary of Public Security of São Paulo, Guilherme Derrite, stated that this is the greatest damage caused to organized crime in years. “This is proof of what we are facing on the coast of São Paulo: criminals who, over decades, structured an illicit chain through international drug trafficking and who, this time, are being dismantled by a brilliant police intelligence operation “, he said.

Police had been investigating the area for more than a month

For more than a month, the contingent from the 1st Police Station for Investigations into Robbery and Robbery had been investigating a “branch” of crime that was allegedly working to control drug trafficking in Baixada Santista, from Guarujá. As a means of guaranteeing its performance, the gang even provoked clashes in the region to “inhibit the action of the police forces”, as explained by Deic.

The discovery was made based on information from the Civil Police intelligence sector. Investigators were informed about the property in the Vicente de Carvalho district, which was being used to store firearms that would be distributed to various organized crime cells in the region, as well as drugs.

Upon arriving at the scene, investigators were greeted by the resident, who provided evasive answers. She also reported that unknown men had stored several bags in one of the rooms at the bottom of the house, surrounded by siding.

During the searches, the police found the cocaine bricks packaged and separated in raffia bags. Two simulacra firearms, a cell phone and the defendant’s marriage certificate were also collected.

According to the woman, all the material belonged to her 31-year-old husband, who was not in the house at the time of the incident. He has a criminal record for robbery. The suspect was taken to the police station, where she was charged with drug trafficking and association with drug trafficking.

The police are still carrying out investigations to locate her partner and identify other people involved in the criminal organization.