Paulo Cándido Oliveira Da Silva, 39, considered the "ambassador" of the Comando Vermelho in Paraguay, reportedly confessed to Brazilian authorities that he killed 18 people during the time he operated in the country. The information, reported by Brazilian media outlets, has not yet been independently confirmed by Paraguayan authorities.
The Brazilian, also known by the aliases Paul, PJC, and Nicolai, was arrested on June 3 at a house in the Fourth Neighborhood of Luque, Central department, during Operation Puma Py, conducted by the Anti-Narcotics Department of the National Police. Two days later, on the night of June 5, he was expelled from Paraguayan territory via the Friendship Bridge in Ciudad del Este, capital of Alto Paraná department.
According to the investigation, Oliveira Da Silva had outstanding arrest warrants in Brazil for criminal association and international drug trafficking and was an active member of the Rio de Janeiro-based faction Comando Vermelho. On the Brazilian side, Operation Puma was carried out by the Civil Police against a cell of the faction that had been gaining strength in the state of Paraná, allegedly bringing marijuana, cocaine, and weapons from Paraguay through the detained "ambassador."
The criminal had previously been arrested in Paraguay on January 26, 2020, when he attempted to enter the regional penitentiary in San Pedro de Ycuamandyyú with a false identity to visit Colorado Party politician Benjamín Adaro Monzón, then departmental councilor of Caazapá. Adaro Monzón had been arrested in Operation Gangster, which dismantled a criminal organization based in Yuty, a municipality from which he allegedly commanded contract killings, some with political motivations.
According to reports from the Brazilian press, after being handed over to the country's authorities, Oliveira Da Silva reportedly cited a specific case: the murder of Arnaldo Rotela Gauto, 52, known as "the cattle rustling king." Rotela Gauto was shot to death on August 15, 2024, in the district of Yuty, Caazapá department, by a hitman with characteristics similar to those of the Brazilian. According to the Brazilian media outlets, this information is already being handled by the country's police forces.