Brazil's Most Powerful Militia Leader Arrested
Published: 29 December 2023
WRITTEN BY LIETH CARRILLO
The Brazilian Federal Police arrested Sunday a highly sought-after fugitive, who leads a militia that controls one of Rio de Janeiro’s most dangerous zones.
Luís Antônio da Silva Braga, a.k.a "Zinho," is the current leader of the Justice League. The criminal organization operates out of Rio de Janeiro's West Zone, an area contested by militias and drug gangs for dominance over the local favelas. A fugitive since 2018, he has had no less than 12 arrest warrants issued in his name.
Zinho’s arrest followed negotiations between his backers, the Federal Police, and the Rio de Janeiro State Public Security Secretariat, authorities said. He surrendered himself to federal officers. He was then taken to the country’s Legal Medical Institute and transferred to the state penitentiary system, where he remains in custody.
"By dismantling these criminal groups with arrests, seizures and financial blockades and the arrest of this mafioso, we are fighting crime head on. We're not going to stop," said Cláudio Castro, governor of Rio de Janeiro.
More:
https://www.occrp.org/en/daily/18333-brazil-s-most-powerful-militia-leader-arrested
