This was considered one of the world's most active international trafficking groups
Run by TVTs — that's police talk for "High Value Targets" — the top tier of alleged criminal bosses
Among these surprising HVTs is a multi-millionaire racehorse owner
a politically well-connected owner of an armored car company, and a wealthy tobacco executive who
suspiciously escaped seconds before police rushed in to arrest him. The Mob Reporter here with news
of a large operation spanning 10 countries, with police corralling 10 tons of cocaine
and making 30 arrests. Their raids didn't all end nice and tidy though — sparking gun battles with
narcos, ousting a government security minister, and prompting corruption concerns over ties between
police, politics, and narcos. It's a stunning web of intrigue. Let me tell you about it
Every couple of months several multi-ton consignments of cocaine were being shipped from
South America to Europe. It was a logistical wonder — production in Bolivia; supply lines through Brazil,
Paraguay, and Uruguay; transatlantic shipping to Spain; distribution to Italy, Belgium, and
the Netherlands; and command and control in Dubai, a city in the Arabian peninsula. That covers a
lot of geography. Spanish police said the probe started more than a year ago when they clamped
down on their ports. They found a common pattern — maritime shipping containers aboard large merchant
vessels arriving from Brazil. An international task force was set up to dismantle it from tip to tail
The keys for the organization were four energetic, magical cities: Rio de Janeiro on the coast of
Brazil, from where the product was shipped, two Mediterranean ports where it was received, in
Valencia and Barcelona, and Dubai, on the Persian Gulf, underpinning the flow of money. A coordinated
police day of action was unleashed on Feb. 15, 2022. In Brazil Paraguay and Spain about 40
locations were raided. In Brazil, where criminals seem a little bit twitchier than in Europe,
some of the raids erupted into gun battles. One of the masterminds behind the ring, police allege, was
a wealthy Brazilian entrepreneur who was investing money hand-over-fist in thoroughbred racehorses
Cristiano Mendes de Cordova Nascimento was named as the surprise face behind the alleged ring
Here he is on a jockey club website accepting a trophy recently won by one of his many racehorses
42 year old Mendes made a name for himself recently by buying and selling thoroughbreds,
assembling an incredible stable and signing a world record-setting jockey, the legendary
Jorge Ricardo, to wear Mendes' navy blue and lilac checkered uniform. A really promising thoroughbred
can cost more than a million dollars. He has other pricey investments that are being scrutinized
including luxury cars, beautiful real estate, and private planes, authority said
Investigators gave me these photos showcasing some of it. We can surmise Mendes with one of the prime
HVTs in this because police in both Brazil and Paraguay called their probes "Operation
Turf." Turf is a common horse racing term and sometimes used as a synonym for the sport itself
Mendes' horses often raced at the racecourse in Rio de Janeiro with a stunning view of the
city's towering Christ the Redeemer statue. Last November, police say it was one of this network's
trucks that overturned on a Brazil highway when the driver sped out of one of Rio's favelas —
spooked when he saw a cop car, the driver was busted with 600 kilos of coke found in the back
In Paraguay, the probe focused on the city of Ciudad del Este. It's an interesting place
Paraguay's second largest city it is in an area called the "Triple Frontera," meaning triple border
This is where the countries of Paraguay, Argentina, and Brazil all meet, each separated by a river
Sounds like a hot spot for something shady
As it turns out, one search there was of this company: Black Eagle, which seems to have drawn its
name and promotions from a 1990s mercenary movie. It brings just that kind of vibe to this story
Black Eagle sells bulletproof vehicles, ballistic vests, and other tactical and
security equipment. The man behind Black Eagle was Marcus Vinicius Espíndola Marqués de Padua — man these
names are killing me. Espíndola is a Brazilian doing business in neighboring Paraguay. He was
another prime HVT of the sweep. This was his main business, at least his main public business:
importing high-end vehicles, stripping them down, inserting ballistic armor to make them bulletproof
and bombproof, and then reselling them to elite customers. But it seemed he was trying to look
more like he ran a mercenary group rather than a mechanic shop — at least based on his Instagram
After Espíndola's arrest, it turned out he was pals with none other than Paraguay's minister of the
interior, Arnaldo Giuzzio. He's the government's minister in charge of policing and security
of all things. Here's that minister in July announcing the country's largest ever coke seizure —
3,416 kilos discovered inside bags of sugar ready for export — and here he is at a high
level international security meeting in, of all places, the triple frontier, and finally, here is
the same minister in a Paraguayan newspaper, standing with the alleged narco Espíndola
When it was revealed the minister borrowed a van from him for a family vacation to Brazil
Giuzzio was fired as minister, Paraguay's president announced. The minister explained on Twitter he
had no idea Espíndola had alleged ties to the drug trade, saying they met when Espíndola was
selling tactical equipment to Paraguay's police; he said he borrowed the van only when his own vehicle
had mechanical trouble while vacationing with his family. Other raids in Paraguay were at the Paraná
Country Club, an exclusive residential complex and golf course also in the tri-border area. Police
went there looking for Espíndola and another suspect Lindomar Reges Furtado. Furtado and
his wife drove out of the main gate of the luxury condo complex suspiciously just seconds before the
raid. Two security guards from the complex and a resident of one of the houses were arrested
accused of blocking police. On Friday, Feb. 25th, 2022, there was another huge drug probe
unveiled in Paraguay. It seems to be closely linked to the first, as well as tied to that huge seizure
we saw former minister Giuzzio announcing. This case brought more disgrace to the government
Another senior government minister, this time the National Emergency minister, Joaquín Roa
was fired after it was revealed by local media his yacht was seized in the anti-drug probe
The boat was bought from alleged kingpin Alberto “Beto” Koube. Koube was an apparent friend of the
minister's, granted government contracts, and whose own brother is also a politician
Koube was arrested this week along with a handful of other politicians and former candidates
Two senior ministers in one week fired for connection to alleged major narcos
Not a good look. And maybe far, far worse. Paraguay's president Mario Abdo Benítez publicly addressed
there was a problem. He said Paraguay was in "the toughest battle against organized crime in the
entire history of the country." In other words, Paraguay has a huge problem on its hands
All allegations at this stage, of course, have not yet been tested in court
That will come. And maybe we'll get answers. And maybe we'll be left with a whole lot of questions
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