Brazil’s Role in Cocaine Trade Is Expanding

The growing importance of Brazil in South America’s drug traffic was illuminated last week by the fatal crash of a Brazilian private airplane carrying 600 kilograms (1,320 pounds) of pure cocaine.

The twin-engine aircraft crashed last Wednesday in Paraguay near the border with Brazil. Brazilian federal police in the state of Mato Grosso said searchers found the shipment of cocaine in the wreckage.

Killed in the crash was the plane’s owner, Gilberto Yannes, along with the pilot and an unidentified Bolivian. The cause of the crash has not yet been determined.

The 40-year-old Yannes suddenly became a wealthy businessman in the Brazilian city of Londrina about two years ago. He owned a used car dealership, three gasoline stations and an industrial packing house, all thought to be financed by his illicit activities.

The size of the cocaine shipment on Yannes’ aircraft indicated the rising volume of the drug that is being routed through Brazil from Bolivia for shipment to North America.

Major Center for Coca

Bolivia is a major center for production of coca, the plant from which cocaine is derived. Many laboratories are scattered through the jungle areas of eastern Bolivia, where most big ranches have their own airstrips. Aircraft movements across Brazil’s extensive borders with Bolivia and Paraguay are virtually uncontrolled by civil aviation authorities.

Cocaine laboratories in Paraguay, a major center of contraband for neighboring countries, are relatively new. However, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration investigators believe that drug traffickers may have moved processing facilities into Paraguay and Brazil to avoid increased surveillance in Bolivia, where the United States is supporting a campaign against cocaine production and exports.

The largest cocaine confiscation ever made in Brazil was 200 kilos seized last year in Sao Paulo state. Total cocaine seizures in Brazil last year were 867 kilos.