# Arrest of PCC leader Roberto Prieto Filho

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/arrest-of-pcc-leader-roberto-prieto-filho
> Updated: 2026-09-25T20:15:00.000Z. Sources: 27. Developments: 2.

Roberto Prieto Filho, a high-ranking leader of the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) criminal organization known as ‘Betinho da Baixada’, was arrested in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia. The operation was carried out by the Bolivian Special Force to Fight Drug Trafficking (Felcn) with support from the Brazilian Federal Police and the Civil Police of São Paulo.

Prieto had been a fugitive since January 2022, following a violent prison escape in Guarujá, where armed men used rifles to liberate him and accomplice Pablo Ribeiro Lopes Santos from a local detention center. During his time as a fugitive, Prieto reportedly attempted to evade justice by presenting a false death certificate to the courts.

Previously sentenced in absentia to over 20 years in prison for drug trafficking, money laundering, and criminal association, Prieto was transferred under heavy escort to the Centro de Detenção Provisória IV in Pinheiros, São Paulo, where he remains in custody awaiting judicial proceedings. His accomplice, Pablo Ribeiro Lopes Santos, was also involved in the criminal activities and received a sentence of over four years for money laundering.

## Claims

- Roberto Prieto Filho, known as Betinho da Baixada, was arrested in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia. (corroborated by 17 sources)
- Prieto was sentenced to 20 years, 2 months, and 20 days in prison for drug trafficking, association for drug trafficking, and money laundering. (corroborated by 17 sources)
- Prieto had been a fugitive since January 2022 after being rescued from a prison in Guarujá by armed men. (corroborated by 17 sources)
- Accomplice Pablo Ribeiro Lopes Santos was sentenced to over four years in a semi-open regime for money laundering. (corroborated by 16 sources)
- Prieto was transferred to Brazil under heavy police escort and is held at the Pinheiros Detention Center in São Paulo. (corroborated by 16 sources)
- The Bolivian Special Force to Fight Drug Trafficking (Felcn) carried out the arrest. (corroborated by 15 sources)
- A false death certificate was presented to the courts while Prieto was a fugitive. (single source)

## Timeline

### 2026-09-25: Roberto Prieto Filho, PCC leader, arrested in Bolivia

PCC leader Roberto Prieto Filho, a fugitive since 2022, was arrested in Bolivia and transferred to São Paulo to serve a 20-year sentence for drug trafficking and money laundering.

20 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/pcc-leader-roberto-prieto-filho-arrested-in-bolivia-1

### 2026-09-23: Roberto Prieto Filho, alleged PCC leader, arrested in Bolivia

Alleged PCC leader Roberto Prieto Filho, a fugitive since a 2022 prison escape in Guarujá, Brazil, has been arrested by Bolivian police in Santa Cruz de la Sierra.

8 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/pcc-leader-roberto-prieto-filho-arrested-in-bolivia

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Cite as: Arrest of PCC leader Roberto Prieto Filho. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/arrest-of-pcc-leader-roberto-prieto-filho