VZCZCXRO4029
RR RUEHRG
DE RUEHBR #0102/01 0231912
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 231912Z JAN 09
FM AMEMBASSY BRASILIA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3410
INFO RUEHAC/AMEMBASSY ASUNCION 7340
RUEHSW/AMEMBASSY BERN 0122
RUEHBU/AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES 6045
RUEHMN/AMEMBASSY MONTEVIDEO 7653
RUEHSG/AMEMBASSY SANTIAGO 0824
RUEHRG/AMCONSUL RECIFE 9002
RUEHRI/AMCONSUL RIO DE JANEIRO 7185
RUEHSO/AMCONSUL SAO PAULO 3439

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BRASILIA 000102 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR WHA/BSC AND G/TIP 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KCRM KFRD KWMN ELAB PREF ASEC SMIG PHUM BR
SUBJECT: BRAZIL: TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS GANG TAKEN DOWN IN 
GOIAS 
 
¶1. (U) Summary: On the week of 11 January, the Brazilian 
Federal Police (DPF) arrested five persons (four Brazilians, 
one man and three women, and a Swiss man) who were suspected 
of trafficking women to Switzerland for prostitution.  The 
four-year-old DPF operation, which was conducted jointly with 
the Swiss Federal Police, took down a scheme that had 
resulted in at least 15 women being trafficked to 
Switzerland.  The DPF may make more arrests as it continues 
to gather evidence both in Brazil and Switzerland. The joint 
Brazilian-Swiss operation represents another success in 
Brazil's efforts to expand international cooperation in TIP 
cases.  Post will continue to monitor progress on the case to 
see whether the arrests lead to indictments and convictions. 
End Summary. 
 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
Trafficking in Persons and Baby Selling Gang Disrupted 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
 
¶2. (U) On 14 January, the DPF arrested five persons on 
suspicions of conspiracy to traffic women to Europe. 
According to the DPF, the victims were women between the ages 
of 18 and 28, who were recruited in the towns of Sao Miguel 
do Passa Quatro, Vianopolis and Anapolis, in the state of 
Goias.  They were then transported through Kubitschek 
International Airport in Brasilia onward to Switzerland 
either on a false promise that waitressing jobs awaited them 
or with the knowledge that they would work as prostitutes. 
At least two members of the gang had been previously arrested 
in November 2008 in connection to a scheme to buy a baby for 
R$20,000 (US$8,600) to sell to a Swiss couple and were free 
on bail at the time of their 14 January arrest. 
 
¶3. (U) The gang worked with individuals in Switzerland who 
were responsible for the recruited Brazilian women and acted 
as pimps for them there.   The Swiss Federal Police intends 
to question individuals involved in the scheme in coming 
days, according to DPF officials.  Although the DPF cited at 
least 15 cases of women being trafficked by this group, they 
believe that the actual number may have been higher, 
particularly as the gang was highly experienced and may have 
been operating for a long time.  Furthermore, the DPF 
believes that the gang received more than R$1 million (US$ 
430,000) for its crimes, but that the amount was almost 
certainly much higher. 
 
------------------------------ 
Cooperation with Swiss 
------------------------------ 
 
¶4. (U) According to the DPF officers working on the case, two 
Brazilian Federal Police officers were sent to Switzerland to 
continue to collect evidence and to interview victims.  One 
victim who still resides in Switzerland asked for protection 
for her family in Goias before talking to police.  The DPF 
noted that the Brazilian Interpol office was working with 
Swiss authorities and that further arrests could be 
forthcoming. 
 
¶5. (U) This is at least the third time in the last two years 
that the Federal Police worked with Swiss authorities to 
disrupt a trafficking in persons gang.  Previously, both 
entities had worked together during Operation Fassini in 
2005, which resulted in the conviction of Swiss citizen 
Robert Alfred Suter in Brazil for involvement in the 
international trafficking of women, and Operation Taro in 
2006, which broke a gang that was trafficking women in a 
route from Minas Gerais to Switzerland that had trafficked 
300 women to work as sex slaves. 
 
------------- 
Comment: 
------------- 
 
¶6. (U) It is encouraging to see the DPF take actions against 
a trafficking in persons gang.  The issue now is whether the 
Public Ministry will have enough evidence to indict and 
obtain a conviction of the members of the gang -- never a 
sure thing.  In a country where glitzy headlines of arrests 
in all manner of police operations infrequently lead to 
convictions, trafficking in persons cases are even harder 
than most cases for Brazilian authorities to prosecute since 
 
BRASILIA 00000102  002 OF 002 
 
 
witnesses often are unwilling to testify for fear of 
reprisals.  In the cases where the trafficking was consensual 
-- where the women knew the intended outcome of their travel 
-- most often the women involved will not testify.   Despite 
the open question of whether indictments will follow, the 
arrest demonstrates that Brazil is routinely running joint 
operations with foreign partners in a concerted effort to 
pursue trafficking cases (i.e. the three cases with 
Switzerland, as well as a case it worked with Italy to take 
down an underage sexual tourism conspiracy in Fortaleza in 
2004).  This type of enhanced international cooperation will 
be essential for Brazil to increase the rate of arrests and 
convictions in these cases.  Post will continue to monitor 
progress on the case to see whether the arrests lead to 
indictments and convictions.  End Comment. 
KUBISKE