Leonardo Dias Mendonça, known as ‘Barão do Tráfico’, dies in Brazil

Leonardo Dias Mendonça, a high-profile drug trafficker known as ‘Barão do Tráfico’, has died at the Santa Casa hospital in Campo Grande, Brazil. Mendonça, 63, had been hospitalized in serious condition since August 17 after falling ill while held at the Campo Grande Federal Penitentiary.

According to his defense, brain death was confirmed, leading to the removal of life support. Mendonça was identified by authorities as a significant figure in international drug trafficking, with a criminal history dating back to the late 1990s. Investigations previously linked him to the distribution of cocaine from FARC-controlled regions in Colombia and identified him as an ally of Fernandinho Beira-Mar, a leader of the Comando Vermelho criminal organization.

His legal team is currently awaiting official procedures to release and transport his body to Goiás, where his primary family ties are located.