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A Brazilian businessman, with ties to one of the country’s most powerful criminal groups, has been shot dead at Guarulhos Airport in S\u00e3o Paulo. <\/p>\n
Ant\u00f4nio Vinicius Gritzbach had recently entered into a plea bargain with local prosecutors to provide information about Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) – or First Capital Command.<\/p>\n
He received death threats from the gang as a result, local media reports. <\/p>\n
Three others were injured in the attack, with footage online showing the aftermath. Police said officers had been deployed to the airport and surrounding area. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The moment two hooded men exited a car holding sub-machine guns and began firing outside the airport terminal was caught on security camera.<\/p>\n
Gritzbach, a former member of the PCC, dropped his bag and tried to run away – but he was shot many times and died at the scene.<\/p>\n
A cryptocurrency expert, Gritzbach had been in the process of telling officials how he helped the group launder millions of dollars.<\/p>\n
Reports in Brazilian media suggest he was once considered a key player in the gang’s operation.<\/p>\n
As part of his plea deal, Gritzbach had promised to help investigators locate other members and hand over documents. <\/p>\n
In exchange, S\u00e3o Paulo prosecutors are said to have offered Gritzbach a judicial pardon and a reduction of his sentence for money laundering.<\/p>\n
The PCC was formed in the early 1990s and has gone on to become one of Brazil’s most feared drug gangs. Its members, however, are not confined to Latin America. <\/p>\n
Last year, a report by security services in Portugal alone suggested the group had 1,000 associates in the European country’s capital, Lisbon. <\/p>\n
S\u00e3o Paulo’s organised crime taskforce estimated in 2023 that PCC makes almost $1bn (\u00a3773,000) from international cocaine trafficking. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n