The Portuguese judicial police arrested Brazilian Igor Daniel Zago, known as “Hulk”, convicted of international drug smuggling, in a luxury residential apartment in Cascais, near the capital, Lisbon, according to local press reports. In addition to his involvement in sending cocaine to Europe, the São Paulo Public Ministry (MP-SP) also accused Zago of participating in a fuel adulteration scheme targeted by a massive operation in August this year.
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Along with Sergio Dias da Silva, known as Serginio, the Hulk was identified by the MP-SP as one of the leaders of a criminal organization that defrauded gas stations, adulterated fuel, and corrupt public officials. The MP stated in the complaint that Igor Zago was responsible for maintaining contact with methanol suppliers and managing the finances of the group, which controlled dozens of gas stations.
“Suddenly you told me about these positions there (…) We will reach 40, brother. We are at 36, right? We will reach 40, we will not lag behind, but seriously, we will be close to 50 by the end of the year,” says one of the messages Hulk sent to Sergio da Silva.
The conversations also indicate that the defendants paid bribes to public officials and had access to privileged information from public bodies. In one of the messages obtained by investigators, Sergio tells Hulk that he is going to Brazil to open a gas station and then sends a picture of an amount of money used in the settlement. They also exchange information about the inspection carried out by the National Petroleum Agency against one of the group’s methanol suppliers.
“Tomorrow the men will come here, to inspect. So I stopped here to explain everything. Tomorrow the men will come,” Sergio da Silva told Hulk in an audio message obtained by investigators.
Hulk was one of the targets of a massive operation launched by Brazilian authorities in August against a PCC money laundering scheme involving gas stations and fintech companies. However, Zago already had a history of links with the faction, as he was one of those convicted under Operation Outside, along with André Oliveira Macedo, and André du Raab, one of the main names in the PCC.
The operation, which was launched in 2014, was the result of an investigation that revealed a group involved in sending 3.4 tons of cocaine to Europe through the port of Santos. 43 people were reported for participating in the criminal scheme, including Zago and Andre du Raab. André du Raab is described as one of the main leaders of the Chinese Communist Party and has been on the run since 2020.
In July 2021, Hulk was arrested on the coast of São Paulo by the São Paulo Civil Police’s Operation Neptune, along with four other suspects. The authorities confiscated luxury cars, weapons, boats, and even a helicopter. When publishing the case at the time, São Paulo Police highlighted that one of the targets of the operation “used a network of gas stations to launder money and hide assets.”
Hulk was arrested in Portugal, and is the target of a preventive arrest warrant issued by the Sao Paulo Court of Justice. He was also awaiting the decision on his appeal against his 29-year prison sentence in Brazil for international drug trafficking.
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