International operation reveals use of liquid cocaine in wood in Brazil with history linked to Pablo Escobar since the 1970s
The technique of hiding cocaine in liquid form, which stands out as one of the largest seizures in Brazilian history and the second globally, had already been used by criminal organizations for decades, including groups linked to Pablo Escobar. The method is used to circumvent inspection.
An extensive international operation, carried out on Sunday (21), connected Brazil, the United States and Bolivia to dismantle a scheme for transporting drugs in wooden cargo. The investigation involved monitoring trucks in border areas, culminating in the interception of the vehicles. Federal Revenue, Federal Police and the Brazilian Army, with support from American authorities and the Fuerza Especial de Lucha Contra el Narcotráfico (FELCN) from Bolivia, participated in the action.
For Carlos Roberto Benjoino da Silva, master in history, this strategy is not new and is in line with the historical logic of international trafficking. He details that the process involves creating a legitimate shipment, such as wood, to hide the drug, which is then covered in substances that make detection difficult.
The expert explains that large traffickers already used this type of method between the 1970s and 1990s. The essence was always the same: camouflaging the drug in common loads to avoid inspection. The fundamental principle, according to him, is to always mix what is illicit with something that appears completely legal.
Details about the drug’s camouflage technique
“Liquid cocaine” represents one of the most ingenious approaches that criminal factions use to try to escape surveillance, as explained by chemistry professor Marciano Simões de Souza. In general, the technique consists of diluting the narcotic in specific solvents and then impregnating it in transport materials, such as large volumes of wood.
The chemistry professor reiterates that this is not a recent innovation. Cocaine has the ability to be dissolved in several types of solvents, including ethanol, oils and even certain food liquids, as has been observed in cases involving milk and other substances.
The researchers’ projections indicate that between 10% and 20% of the total weight of the wood corresponds to cocaine. If this estimate is confirmed, the cargo could contain between 20 and 50 tons of the drug, a volume that will only be specified after the substance has been completely extracted from the seized material.
In the professor’s analysis, the choice of solvent is crucial to the success of the process. The ideal substance must allow a high concentration of the drug in a reduced volume, optimizing transport and operation discretion.
He points out that, if the solvent used is not suitable, traffickers will not be able to transport a significant quantity of the drug. Furthermore, it is likely that the physical structure of the wood will be altered, since, naturally, it would not have sufficient porosity to absorb such a volume. Therefore, it is possible for the wood to undergo specific treatments, such as intense drying or mechanical processes, to increase its absorption capacity.
The professor explains that the methodology for concealing liquid cocaine is based on a chemical property of cocaine hydrochloride, a salt that is soluble in water, ethanol and other polar solvents. This characteristic allows the drug to be dissolved in different liquids, adapting to the transport strategy. He adds that the choice of solvent is directly influenced by the type of material that will be used as a disguise for the drug.
It is likely that, in the case of wood, water was used to dissolve the cocaine. For subsequent removal, they must employ a washing method, seeking to extract as much of the drug as possible from the material, as reported by the specialist.
The Federal Police, in turn, did not disclose details about the procedure that will be used to extract the drug. The seized material was sent for expert analysis.
According to Marciano, the methodology does not interfere with the marketing of the product. The process allows the drug to be transported in its diluted form and subsequently recovered at the final destination for use or sale.
After transport, the criminals evaporate the solvent, and what remains is cocaine hydrochloride in a state of considerable purity, says the chemistry expert.
Given the complexity of the method, the chemistry professor points out that the identification of these charges still depends on prior investigations or intelligence operations. The sophistication involved requires in-depth investigative work to detect it.
The expert comments that these solvents can be practically odorless, which further complicates identification during routine inspections. Generally, this type of load is only discovered when there is prior monitoring or a specific report. Otherwise, detection is extremely difficult.
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The influence of Pablo Escobar and the evolution of trafficking
Pablo Escobar was not the inventor of the liquid cocaine method, but he significantly improved this practice during the Medellín cartel’s period of greatest power.
For the master of history, this type of technique is an adaptation of methods already used by drug trafficking in times past, and its application continues in different scenarios over time. He reaffirms that Pablo Escobar did not create the method, but contributed to its sophistication at the height of his criminal organization.
Carlos Roberto details that Escobar, although he did not create the method, enhanced it. In the example of wood, this substance contributed to making detection by sniffer dogs difficult, making the technique more efficient and complex at the time.
For historian Carlos Roberto, the recent operation is a clear indication of how drug trafficking persists in adapting its old strategies to new routes and available technologies.
The professor concludes that the essence of the basic strategy remains unchanged; What evolves is the degree of sophistication and the capacity for collaboration between different countries in combating this form of crime.
Joint efforts to combat drug trafficking between nations
An articulation of international cooperation, involving Brazil, the United States and Bolivia, was crucial for authorities to identify the trafficking scheme that used wooden loads to hide liquid cocaine. The exchange of information allowed the monitoring of trucks at the border, resulting in the seizure of the vehicles.
The operation involved Federal Revenue agents in collaboration with the Federal Police and the Brazilian Army, in addition to support from US authorities and the Fuerza Especial de Lucha Contra el Narcotrafico (FELCN). The IRS reported that this could be the largest cocaine seizure in Brazilian history and the second largest ever recorded worldwide.
The Federal Government clarified that the joint action was viable because the operation took place in an Integrated Control Area (ACI). In these locations, countries share border inspection procedures and have authorization to act on each other. The wood transported is of the mastic and cedar species, commonly used in the production of furniture.
The Federal Revenue, however, indicated that the cargo of wood containing liquid cocaine had been declared regularly through the Foreign Trade Portal. Currently, the Federal Police are investigating whether the transport companies were involved in the criminal scheme or whether there was any tampering with the shipment after its documentation.
Operational details of cargo interception
In total, eight trucks were intercepted: four in the city of Corumbá, in Mato Grosso do Sul, and another four in Cáceres, Mato Grosso. Preliminary tests confirmed the presence of cocaine in the wooden load, but the investigation is still underway to determine the exact quantity of the drug.
Based on similar occurrences, researchers estimate that cocaine may represent between 10% and 20% of the weight of the wood. If this projection is confirmed, the cargo could contain between 20 and 50 tons of the drug, a number that will be precisely determined only after extracting the drug from the seized material.
Videos and photographs sent to regional press outlets record the moment of the seizure. The images show agents using sniffer dogs to identify the presence of the drug and, subsequently, drilling into the wood to collect samples for preliminary testing.
Similar case of seizure in Chile with the same methodology
On June 6, Chilean Customs seized 100 tons of cocaine from Bolivia, using exactly the same scheme detected by Brazilian authorities this Sunday: liquid cocaine mixed in wood. This Chilean interception constituted the largest seizure ever recorded in the country.
Information shared by the United States suggests that the two large seizures, both in Chile and Brazil, are interconnected and originate from the same production point in Bolivia.
