The arrest of Marcos Roberto de Almeida, known as Tuta, Bolivia, named as one of the main leaders of the first command of the capital (CCP) and successor of Marcola, represents a milestone in the fight against transnational organized crime. A fugitive since 2021, Tuta was considered a priority target by the Federal Police, and was on Interpol’s red list.
Justice Minister Ricardo Lewandowski classified the arrest as “a victory for Brazil”, while the SP Secretary of Public Security saw it as a “Strategic coup against or organized crime”. PF members believe the arrest caused a “thud” in international trafficking and money laundering.
However, o. According to him, the arrest “It should not cause significant impacts”because tuta “is a piece that will be replaced immediately.”
Salaro argues that the structure of the faction for trafficking and money laundering already provides a substitute and will remain intact. He also mentions that other CCP leaders, such as André do Rap, forged and Portuguese, would still be in Bolivia, which reinforces the complexity and resilience of the organization.
Tuta was expelled from Bolivia and transferred to the Federal Penitentiary in Brasilia (PFBRA), same unit as Marcola, although authorities claim that there is no possibility of communication between them.
Capture and Crime Embassy
The capture in Santa Cruz de la Sierra confirmed an old suspicion of the police and the prosecutor: the existence of a kind of “Crime Embassy” in Boliviawhere traffic chiefs would give orders for operations in Brazil. The choice of the neighboring country would be facilitated by the corruption capacity of local police.
Tuta is described as the Main CCP leader outside the chainsmaintaining direct contact with incarcerated leaders, including Marcola. He was responsible for commanding loose members of the organization and would have moved about $ 1 billion for the faction between 2018 and 2019. Investigations also connect him to leaders’ rescue plans in federal prisons and murders of authorities.
The arrest was the result of a coordinated action between the Brazilian Federal Police, the Lucha Special Fuerza against El Crial (Felcc) of Bolivia and Interpol. Tuta was arrested while trying to renew documentation with a fake name, and confirmation of his real identity was possible thanks to the use of the PF biometric base.
