Police Seize Four Tons of Marijuana on Rio de Janeiro State Highway

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Federal Highway Police (PRF) seized a four-ton cargo of marijuana in the BR-116 highway in the state of Rio de Janeiro. The operation occurred in the evening of July 11th, near Magé, a city in the metropolitan area of Rio.

According to the PRF, the agents were carrying out routine inspections on the highway, when they stopped a truck that was heading towards Rio de Janeiro. The police were suspicious of the driver’s restlessness during the approach and decided to make a thorough inspection of the vehicle. In the search, they found the drugs packed in several blocks, hidden under the cargo, in the truck’s body.

According to PRF, the 38-year-old driver was traveling alone and confessed that he was paid R$5,500 (US$1,375) to carry marijuana from Ponta Porã, in Mato Grosso do Sul, to Rio de Janeiro. He also said that he was to deliver it near the Chapadão complex, in Costa Barros, in the north zone of Rio.

The driver was arrested in the act and indicted for drug trafficking. If convicted, he could face up to fifteen years in prison.