Brazil's
Police Arrest Gang
Members Ked by
Imprisoned Drug Lord
Brazil's Federal Police
arrested on Thursday
members of a gang
allegedly led by an
imprisoned drug lord.
The drug lord, Luis
Fernando da Costa, also
known as Fernandinho
Beira-Mar, was one of
the biggest drug dealers
and arms smugglers in
Latin America, and he
continued to lead the
traffic of drugs and
arms in Rio's slums
following his arrest in
2001, police said.
Those 24 arrested
included Beira-Mar's
wife, who was also his
lawyer, and some of his
relatives, the police
said, adding that they
were accused of drug
trafficking, money
laundering, murder and
arms smuggling, among
others.
Three hundred policemen
participated in the
operation and made
arrests in four states,
confiscating suspected
drug money, drugs and
weapons of the gang
group.
Beira-Mar's wife
Jcqueline Alcantara de
Morais was charged with
coordinating her
husband's business
outside prison. The
police found 200,000
U.S. dollars with her
during the operation.
Her brother, Ronaldo de
Morais, 37, was also
arrested by the police
in western Brazil, where
Beira-Mar was
imprisoned. He was
accompanied by the drug
lord's son, Felipe
Alexandre, 21, who was
released because there
were no charges against
him.
The police seized
130,000 dollars and
25,000 reais in cash in
a neighborhood in Rio de
Janeiro's metropolitan
region, where Beira-Mar
was born.
In the operation, the
police also found a note
with phone numbers and
names of people related
to Beira-Mar in a
maximum-security prison
in Parana state.
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