This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 RIO DE JANEIRO 000030 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR CA/FPP 
DPET PLEASE PASSD TO DHS CIS WASHINGTON (RON THOMAS) 
DEPT ALSO PLS PASS TO DHS ICE BOSTION 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KFRD CVIS ASEC PINR MX BR
SUBJECT: MAYOR-ELECT ACCUSED OF LEADING SMUGGLING RING 
 
 
     SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED 
 
     Summary 
     ------- 
 
     ¶1. (SBU)  The respected Brazilian daily Folha de Sao 
     Paulo reports that the mayor-elect of a small city in 
     the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais is leading a family- 
     run smuggling operation that sends Brazilian nationals 
     to the United States via Mexico. According to Folha, 
     the operation is run from a travel agency the mayor 
     owns in Danbury, Connecticut, home to an estimated 
     20,000 - strong Brazilian community. Several persons 
     interviewed in the articles provided details about the 
     operation, including the agency's address and 
     description.  A check with DHS revealed that someone 
     with the same name as the mayor-elect, Edson Alves da 
     Souza, listed the travel agency's locale as a home 
     address in the US and received a Connecticut driver's 
     license (now expired) and US Social Security number. 
     On the other hand, our records show only visa denials. 
     The mayor-elect, interviewed by the newspaper, denied 
     any involvement in alien-smuggling.  Post has passed 
     this information to DHS.  End Summary. 
 
     The Connecticut Connection 
     -------------------------- 
 
     ¶2. (U)  The newspaper reported that the mayor-elect of 
     Divino das Laranjeiras, Minas Gerais (population 5000), 
     has been operating a smuggling ring whereby Brazilians 
     are smuggled to the US overland via Mexico. The mayor- 
     elect, Edson Bodola (real name Edson Alves de Souza) 
     apparently owns a travel agency in Danbury, CT which 
     serves as a front for the operation. The business, 
     Lider Travel Services, functions out of two rented 
     rooms at the back of a clothing store on 255 Main 
     Street in Danbury.  According to the articles, most of 
     those smuggled hail from the Mayor-elect's home-town 
     and have relatives in or around Danbury. Divino das 
     Laranjeiras is located next to the city of Governador 
     Valadares, infamous throughout Brazil as a center for 
     the production of fraudulent documents. It is estimated 
     that tens, perhaps hundreds of thousands of Minas 
     Gerais residents have relatives on the US eastern 
     seaboard; US engineers came to Minas after World War 
     II, and many took Brazilian spouses (?) back to the US 
     upon return. 
 
     ¶3. (U)  Relatives of de Souza told Folha that he 
     charges his customers $10,000 per trip, of which twenty 
     percent remains with him as "commission."  Would-be 
     illegal immigrants are first transported to Mexico, 
     where they embark on an overland journey.  The price of 
     the trip is supposed to include transport, food, and 
     housing along the way, but one relative of de Souza's 
     who works at the Danbury agency -- her real name did 
     not appear in the article -- criticized him for not 
     taking adequate care of his clients. Apparently, 
     several had been left to fend for themselves while 
     making an arduous trip across the desert; in one case, 
     de Souza allegedly refused to assist a nephew after his 
     release from American detention. He had been captured 
     after a 17-hour desert walk. 
 
     ¶4. (U) The female relative was quoted in the paper as 
     saying the mayor-elect turned over operations to his 
     brother Kiko after winning the municipal election. 
     Edson de Souza, contacted separately by the paper, 
     denied all involvement in any BRAZILIAN ROAD TO U.S.: 
     EASIER THRU MEXICO?smuggling ring but advised the 
     reporter to talk to his brother. 
 
     Family Reunion On Main Street? 
     ------------------------------ 
 
     ¶5. (SBU)  Despite not having received a visa from the 
     Department of State, it is possible that Alves de Souza 
     spent significant time in the U.S. In February 1993, a 
     person using this name presented a fraudulent photo- 
     subbed passport at the Miami airport and was returned 
     to Brazil.  Post reports two other refusals under the 
     subject's name, including a P6C1 (misrepresentation) 
     hit entered in April 1998. However, a check with DHS 
     revealed that someone using the name Edson Alves de 
     Souza listed 255 Main Street, Danbury as his home 
     address in the years 2000 and 2001.  This person 
     obtained a CT driver's license (#106149996, expired 
     October 23, 2003) and a social security card (044-84- 
     3514). 
 
     ¶6. (SBU) A DHS official also told us that his records 
     show a certain Fernando Cezar Pereira also listing 255 
     Main as his address during that time.  Our records show 
     this individual was denied a visa at US Consulate Rio 
     under ineligibility P6c1 on the same day in 1998 as 
     Edson Alves de Souza.  However, DHS informs us that 
     Fernando Cezar Pereira was issued a valid S-26 card 
     certifying him as a special agricultural worker in 
     ¶2002.  In addition, several other individuals with De 
     Souza/Pereira surnames have listed the Danbury, CT 
     address as their home. 
 
     Comment 
     ------- 
 
     ¶7. (SBU) Such smuggling rings are probably fairly 
     common in Minas Gerais, a state infamous as the 
     epicenter of fraud in Brazil.  Nevertheless, the 
     involvement of a public figure (albeit in a small town) 
     with political ambitions is rare. We have discussed 
     these allegations with the officials from DHS should 
     they decide to take further action. 
 
     ATKINS