39 kilos of cocaine in the presidential convoy
Yesterday, 38-year-old Air Force Sergeant Manoel Silva Rodrigues was arrested in Seville with 39 kilos of cocaine in his hand luggage. He was a flight attendant in presidential convoys, and part of a backup team accompanying President Jair Bolsonaro to this year’s G20 Summit in Osaka. The case exposed worrisome security problems—and could reveal a wider network of drug trafficking using Air Force planes. As Vice President Hamilton Mourão said, “[the sergeant] didn’t buy 39 kilos of cocaine on the corner, for personal consumption.”
The arrested officer has made at least 21 international trips with the Air Force Special Transportation Group, several of which with the presidential staff—he has accompanied Brazil’s last three presidents.
According to some reports, the Air Force has already identified the glitch: the sergeant didn’t have his bag scanned at the Air Force Base in Brasília—which is mandatory. According to government officials, that suggests he may have an accomplice. The case becomes even more confusing due to the government’s multiple versions on the episode, following the arrest.
- Initially, VP Mourão said the sergeant would be in the crew for...