Unanswered questions and presidential links of killed crime boss

The inner workings of Rio de Janeiro’s criminal underbelly have rarely been so exposed as since the assassination of left-wing councilor Marielle Franco in March of 2018. Investigations revealed suspicions that the hit job was carried out by a notorious Rio death squad known as the “Office of Crime,” a group made up of active and retired police officers who used their connections and access to firearms to carry out hired killings. The thread unraveled further when it was revealed that a number of these members of Rio de Janeiro “militias” partook in corruption schemes involving local politicians, namely President Jair Bolsonaro’s son, Flávio Bolsonaro.

However, the death of former special-ops police captain Adriano da Nóbrega on Sunday morning may end up stopping investigations in their tracks.

Mr. Nóbrega, identified as the head of the Office of Crime, was killed during a police operation in the countryside of Bahia state after being a fugitive from justice for over a year. He had sought refuge in a farmhouse belonging to local right-wing councilor Gilsinho de Dedé when the property was surrounded by police officers. Mr. Nóbrega reportedly refused to surrender and fired a gunshot at the law enforcement agents, when he was brought down by three bullet wounds. He was taken to hospital but died from his injuries.

Before his death, Mr. Nóbrega’s lawyer claimed that he had expressed fears for his own life, saying he would fall victim to a hit job.

Adriano da Nóbrega and the Office of Crime

The 43-year-old entered the military police of Rio de Janeiro back in 1999 after finishing top of his class and soon made his way into the state’s Special Police Operations Battalion (BOPE), where he rose to the rank of captain and became widely feared for his outstanding marksmanship and imposing physical frame. He was nicknamed the “Polar Bear” among his...