Brazilian army to expel military men arrested for drug trafficking

The Brazilian Army said in a note on Sunday (Aug. 28) it was going to expel three of its men caught using a military truck to transport three tons of marijuana on Sunday in Campinas, São Paulo state. The suspects had brought the shipment from Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, and were arrested as they were about to deliver it to a group of civilians, two of whom were also arrested.

According to the note, the three are army corporals from the 20th Armored Cavalry Regiment based in Campo Grande.

“The Brazilian army cannot accept such conduct, which violates the dearest principles and values of the Force. Given the seriousness of these events, which dishonor the corporation and affect our society, the military perpetrators have been jailed and will be expelled from the Army,” the statement read.

Investigation launched

Also according to the note, a military police investigation was launched to find out more about the case and hold perpetrators accountable. The army will carry out a careful investigation of the military unit the suspects are based in to “fix security procedures and prevent further similar failures,” the statement read.

The force also said it would be willing to provide further clarifications to public security authorities in São Paulo. The acting director of the State Department of Drug Trafficking Prevention and Enforcement (DENARC), Joaquim Dias Alves, said the agency's intelligence unit had found out that a large shipment of drugs was being taken to a defunct company in Campinas, where the arrests were made. He also said the fact that there were military men implicated came as a surprise. The three soldiers were army corporals in uniforms.

The police chief said that when the military suspects detected the presence of civil police officers, they dashed off the wrong way on a high speed military truck near the 2.8km mark of the SP-101 highway leading from Campinas to Monte Mor.

It did not take long before they were caught. One of them tried to escape, but was shot and grazed and, after receiving medical care in Limeira, taken to the DENARC headquarters in São Paulo, where a total five other detainees including two civilians were. Other suspects escaped, they are believed by police to be another two civilians.

Translated by Mayra Borges