A drug kingpin, who had been on the run, was apprehended as his wife posted photos of him on social media. Ronald Roland, his wife Andrezza de Lima and their daughter had been escapees for two years, having committed several crimes during that time. They had successfully avoided prosecution before de Lima disclosed their whereabouts on social media, as reported by TV Globo’s news magazine show Fantastico. Roland and his family were all asleep when Federal Police invaded their home last Tuesday.
De Lima, who runs a bikini business, routinely documented their luxury trips to Colombia, France, Dubai and the Maldives. One such post disclosed their whereabouts, directing officials to their doorstep. Roland was one of eight people caught in an investigation that spanned seven states.
According to Daily Mail, investigators recovered enormous quantities of cash, a boat, jewellery, firearms, 34 cars and an aeroplane. Brazilian officials informed the news site that Roland established drug smuggling connections with Mexican criminal networks. Federal Police investigations claim he laundered $900 million (more than Rs 7,500 crores) in the previous five years. His wife’s bikini boutique was among the 100 enterprises used to launder money.
Agent Ricardo Ruiz of the Federal Police told the news portal that properties were bought under the names of businesses whose partners were individuals who lacked the necessary financial resources to buy cars, aeroplanes or real estate. He went on to say that they discovered business partners who, although employed at a restaurant, are partners in many firms managing tens of millions of money.
Ruiz continued that since 2012, the organisation has been investigating Roland’s actions. During that period, he worked as an airline pilot and looked into his potential links to drug traffickers who were shipping large amounts of narcotics from South and Central America to Mexico.
This is not the first time that social media led to the capture of Ronald Roland. In 2019, Roland caused some fuss when he moved into an opulent condominium in Uberlandia, a city in the adjacent southeast state of Minas Gerais. One week he was seen driving a $91,500 car, the next week a $183,000 car and the week after that a $146,000 luxury car, the news outlet reported. “This caught the attention of the neighbourhood. Who is this person who moved here,” Ruiz told Daily Mail.
In July of the same year, he was detained after his ex-wife uploaded an Instagram photo of them enjoying lunch at a restaurant in Sao Paulo. The report said that he had blemishes on his face and had undergone cosmetic surgery, as shown by a mugshot obtained at the moment of the arrest.
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