Arms Trafficker Arrested in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

On January 23, 2013, Pioneiro reported that a man was arrested bringing guns and ammunition into Brazil from Uruguay and was charged in connection to a string of recent violence and robberies in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil’s southernmost state.  Nilton José Cassol, 54, was apprehended in the town of Cristal with an AK-47 in his Chevy, and police later found more weapons and munitions at his house in Pelotas.  Cassol is believed to be linked to organized crime operations including the robbery of a jewelry store in Cotiporã.  According to a state investigation agency representative, Juliano Ferreira, Cassol was selling each rifle for about $30,000.  He faces international drug trafficking charges.  Read Article