Brazil arrests men in separate domestic violence, child abuse and drug trafficking cases

A man in Botucatu, São Paulo was taken into custody after he knowingly violated a protective order by visiting a woman who was hospitalized. Police confirmed the restraining order issued under the Maria da Penha law and he was detained pending further judicial action.

In Lages, Santa Catarina, a 45‑year‑old grandfather was sentenced to 45 years and ten months in prison for raping his two granddaughters, aged five to ten, between 2020 and 2021. The conviction was upheld by the state’s 1st Criminal Chamber, which also ordered the payment of R$30,000 in moral damages to each victim.

Separately, a 39‑year‑old man from Antônio Carlos, Santa Catarina, was arrested by the state drug‑combating unit after investigators linked him to a hashish‑trafficking network that used transport companies and postal services to ship the drug to several Brazilian states, including São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. The suspect had previously been a target of the “Brain Berry” operation earlier in 2024.