More than 60 thousand messages about the purchase and entry of drugs into Portugal and also links to the “Brazilian Escobar”: Xuxas, the trial – day 2

Encrypted communications were made through EncroChat and Sky CC, which are almost impossible to detect

In the second session of the trial of Rúben Oliveira, better known as “Xuxas”, and 18 other defendants for criminal association, cocaine trafficking and money laundering, inspectors from the Judiciary Police (PJ) were interviewed at the Central Criminal Court of Lisbon .

The PJ had access to more than 60 thousand messages on EncroChat, an operating system installed on cell phones that is almost impossible to detect. It was through this system that Xuxas spoke to the criminal organization and did international drug trafficking business.

In court, it was also discovered that 99% of the written messages were related to the organization’s modus operandi: purchasing drugs and planning the entry of cocaine into Portugal, through sea ports or airports.

It was here that the Judiciary Police discovered links between the Portuguese criminal network and Major Sérgio Carvalho, known as the “Brazilian Escobar”.

In Operation Chameleon, the name of the action to combat transnational organized crime in Europe (Operation Entrepise in Brazil), the Judiciary Police seized a van belonging to Major Sérgio Carvalho with drugs worth 12 million euros – 5 million belonged to Xuxas. At that time, the defendants exchanged messages on EncroChat about the lost merchandise.

Xuxas used several nicknames on EncroChat and Sky CC, another encrypted communications operating system.

At the start of the trial, on Tuesday, two defendants were heard. One of them was William Cruz, who assured that he did not belong to the criminal network, having been, he claimed, a victim of chance. According to him, he would be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Gurvinder Singh, the man who owned the company that imported the papaya where the police found more than 300 kilos of cocaine, assured that it was used and that he had no idea what was happening. The businessman asked for protection because he was collaborating with the authorities.

This case involves links with drug trafficking organizations in Brazil and Colombia.

Xuxas, considered one of the biggest Portuguese drug traffickers, has been in preventive detention in the Monsanto high-security prison since June 2022.

The second session of the trial continues this Wednesday afternoon.