The ‘Finger cutter’ and the ‘Brazilian Escobar’: the men accused of bringing cocaine cartels to Europe
A Belgian criminal organisation’s links with a Brazilian cocaine gang have been the focus of a major trial in Brussels, where smuggling links have been alleged between European players and the drug cartels of Latin America
TL;DR
- Flor Bressers, known as 'The Finger Cutter,' and Sérgio Roberto de Carvalho, nicknamed 'The Brazilian Escobar,' are the main defendants in a major trial in Brussels concerning international cocaine trafficking.
- They are alleged to have led a network suspected of transporting up to 45 tonnes of cocaine to Europe, using front companies and laundering money through various financial channels.
- The case highlights the growing trend of Latin American criminal organizations establishing a significant presence in Europe, mirroring European criminals' long-standing presence in Latin America.
- Sophisticated methods are employed, including the 'platformisation' of crime, where cartels integrate infrastructure and economic models to control the entire drug-trafficking chain from production to sale.
- Both Bressers and Carvalho maintain their innocence, claiming to be victims of persecution or a media witch-hunt.