The Federal Police (PF) seized this Wednesday afternoon (4) 78 kg of gold from an aircraft in Sorocaba, in the interior of São Paulo. The shipment is valued at around R$ 23 million (US$ 5 million) at the current price.
The plane, a King Air, was boarded by federal agents as the gold was being unloaded into suitcases.
During the operation, the PF discovered that military police (PM) officers from the state of São Paulo were responsible for escorting the shipment.
One of the PMs who acted in the escort is a lieutenant colonel who is stationed at the Casa Militar do Governo de São Paulo, which is the body that takes care of the governor's security but has been away since December to fulfill his leave before moving to the reserve.
According to Folha, those responsible for the shipment presented documentation to justify the volume. The PF, however, suspects that the origin of the gold is illegal and must open an investigation into the case.
Translated by Kiratiana Freelon