Brazilian Police Detect
Plot To Kidnap
President's Son
RIO DE JANEIRO -
Brazilian police said
Wednesday that they had
detected a plot by two
drug dealers to kidnap
the son of President
Luiz Inacio Lula da
Silva to extort the
government.
The two, from the same
drug gang, are currently
serving their terms in
Brazil's Campo Grande
Federal Penitentiary
which houses some of the
most dangerous criminals
in the country.
Police discovered the
plot during an operation
Monday during which they
arrested some other
members of the drug gang
and found a list of
names of kidnapping
targets.
Besides Lula's son,
former Tourism Minister
Marta Suplicy and
several federal judges
and their relatives were
also on the list, police
said.
Wilson Damasio, head of
Brazil's National
Penitentiary System,
said the gang had some
other criminal plans
such as escaping from
the prison and ambushing
police cars when the
prisoners were being
transported from the
jail to the courthouse.
Although the criminals
have no direct contact
with each other inside
the penitentiary, they
managed to have a
communication channel
through visitors. The
two drug dealers shared
the same lawyer.
The authorities will
toughen security
measures inside the
jail, said police.
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