Pickup truck with “mountain of gold bars”: what we know about the case

The Federal Highway Police seized 103 kilos of solid gold hidden in a pickup truck traveling on a highway in Roraima. The case has gained great repercussion since the seizure was carried out on Monday (4).

The gold was sent to the Federal Police headquarters in Boa Vista, and the institution will continue investigations to discover the origin, destination and ownership of the material.

Valued at approximately R$62 million at the current exchange rate, the gold cargo is the largest ever seized by the Federal Highway Police in Brazil.

Suspects

Bruno Mendes de Jesus is suspected of transporting the gold bars . As CNN has learned, his wife, who was in the vehicle at the time of the arrest, is influencer Suzy Alencar.

According to Bruno's lawyer, Smiller Rodrigues de Carvalho, he works in the mining industry. His wife, Suzy Alencar, an influencer who talks about motherhood and is the mother of three, spoke out about the case on social media.

Baby in the car

The tampering marks on the dashboard of the Hilux pickup truck (year 2024) and the presence of a nine-month-old baby in the vehicle were decisive.

To avoid exposing the child, the PRF took the car to the operational headquarters, where a false bottom was discovered containing the gold bars.

Suzy reported that at no time was she arrested, nor was her 9-month-old son, who was also present in the car , sent to the child protection council.

Destination of gold

The suspicion is that the gold came from Rondônia and could be being taken to Venezuela or Guyana and may have come from illegal mining.

The gold was sent to the Federal Police headquarters in Boa Vista, and the institution will continue investigations to discover the origin, destination and ownership of the material.

Valued at approximately R$62 million at the current exchange rate, the gold cargo is the largest ever seized by the Federal Highway Police in Brazil.

What does the law say about the case?

Bruno Mendes de Jesus was arrested and is being investigated for the alleged practice of environmental crimes and crimes against the economic order, as provided for in art. 55 of Law No. 9,605/98 and in art. 2 of Law No. 8,176/91 .

Art. 55 of Law No. 9,605/98 , known as the Environmental Crimes Law, establishes:

• " Carry out research, mining or extraction of mineral resources without the appropriate authorization, permission, concession or license, or in disagreement with that obtained ."

This article aims to curb illegal mining , protecting the environment and state control over natural resources.

Article 2 of Law No. 8,176/91 defines as a crime against property, in the form of usurpation:

• " Produce goods or exploit raw materials belonging to the Union, without legal authorization or in disagreement with the obligations imposed by the authorization title ."

Paragraph 1 of the same article adds: " The same penalty shall apply to anyone who, without legal authorization, acquires, transports, manufactures, carries, consumes or sells products or raw materials obtained in the manner provided for in the caput of this article ."

This point is crucial, as it penalizes not only the production, but also the transportation and marketing of illegally obtained products , which fits Bruno's situation.

Investigations and what the defense says

The Federal Police (PF) in Roraima continues investigating to determine the exact origin and final destination of the gold. It is suspected that it departed from Rondônia and was possibly destined for Venezuela or Guyana.

See what the man said after being approached with a "mountain of gold bars"

Bruno's defense claims he is a "mining worker" and a "first-time offender with a good record." His wife, Suzy Alencar, who was with their nine-month-old son, confirmed on social media that she was not arrested. The case remains in the Federal Court of Roraima.