Brazilian arrested in Bolivia for Caxias do Sul airport heist
Brazilian authorities and Bolivian police jointly detained a Brazilian suspect in Bolivia as part of an international cooperation effort. The man, who had an arrest warrant issued by Brazilian courts since July 2025, is accused of helping plan and execute the June 19 2024 robbery at the Hugo Cantergiani Airport in Caxias do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul. Armed assailants breached the airport’s restricted area with three armored vehicles—two disguised as Federal Police cars—seized more than R$14 million being transported on a payment aircraft, and engaged security forces in a gunfight that killed Brigadier Sergeant Fabiano Oliveira and wounded several others.
The capture was coordinated through the Federal Police liaison office in Santa Cruz de la Sierra and the Bolivian Special Force Against Narcotrafficking (FELCN). Brazilian officials say extradition procedures are now underway to transfer the detainee to Brazil to face prosecution. The heist, described as one of the largest in the state, has already led to 15 convictions and 17 indictments of other participants.