A wanted, suspected drug lord has been arrested despite getting veneers and wearing a wig to evade capture.
Lindomar Ruges Furtado also underwent facial contouring and lost weight to change his appearance.
He managed to be a fugitive for three years.
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The 45-year-old was also known as Fabiano de França Pezzato and none of his new neighbours knew his true identity.
However, his efforts to fly under the radar weren’t enough to stop him from being arrested at his luxury residence on Sunday (2 Feb).
Furtado is allegedly one of Brazil’s biggest cocaine traffickers and had given police the slip in February 2022.
Cameras at his luxury residence in Hernandarias, east of the capital Asunción, Paraguay, caught him and his wife leaving by car just 50 seconds before officers arrived.
He was wearing a wig at the time of his arrest, and a second hairpiece was found during a search of the condo in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Furtado is accused of international drug trafficking, organised crime, smuggling, and money laundering.
The police had been investigating him and his associates for a year and a half before the first attempt to arrest him.
Detectives discovered that the gang was trafficking drugs from Bolivia and Colombia to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
They were then sent to Europe via the “rip-on/rip-off” modus operandi, which involves legitimate shipments being exploited.
Throughout the investigation, more than eight tonnes of cocaine were seized in Brazil and Europe.
More than 11m BRL (£1,53m) was also recovered from the gang members.
The police discovered how they laundered their ill-gotten gains by acquiring and trading racehorses and houses.
Furtado’s wife was also in the police’s sights during their operation three years ago, as reported by Need To Know.
She turned herself in in August last year and is currently out on bail with an electronic ankle tag.
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