Twenty-three Paraguayan workers were rescued from a farm in Puerto Murtinho, Mato Grosso do Sul, during a joint operation by Brazil’s Federal Police and Ministry of Labor and Employment on Thursday, the 17th. The property is attributed to Aparecido Carlos Bernardo, a candidate for federal deputy from the state.
The action followed a complaint about the informal hiring of foreign nationals and the workers being kept in a vulnerable situation. The suspicions under investigation include withheld wages, a lack of formal registration and a ban on leaving the property. Authorities are still investigating the circumstances of the case.
During the operation, 14 firearms, including high-caliber rifles, as well as ammunition, were also seized. According to information released about the action, some of the weapons were unregistered and some had their serial numbers filed off.
Bernardo denied the accusations. In statements to Globo, he said the workers had chosen not to be formally registered and that they received adequate conditions. He also said that tasks were assigned in shifts, that there was air conditioning and that the working hours posed no risk despite the region’s heat. Regarding the weapons, he said that using this type of equipment is common in the area and described the operation as the result of “political persecution.”
Puerto Murtinho lies across from Carmelo Peralta, in Paraguay’s Alto Paraguay department. The case involves Paraguayan workers found in Brazilian territory and an investigation conducted by Brazilian authorities, but the sources do not detail the individual immigration status of those rescued or the measures taken after the operation.
Bernardo is also known as Carlos de UCP. He owns Universidad Interamericana and was executive director of Universidad Central de Pedro Juan Caballero. One report mentions other alleged illicit activities under investigation in Brazil and Paraguay, but it does not provide enough detail for those allegations to be treated as confirmed facts.
The investigation into the working conditions, wages and origin or legal status of the weapons continues. The rescue and seizures record suspicions and police measures; whether forced labor or other crimes were committed will depend on the authorities’ investigation and judicial decisions.