Prosecutor’s Office: Brazilian drug trafficker to remain in custody during appeal against extradition

A Brazilian national arrested in Budapest on June 21 on charges of drug trafficking, money laundering, manslaughter and forgery will remain in custody during the appeal procedure against a ruling to extradite him to his homeland, the Budapest Appellate Chief Prosecution Office said on Wednesday.

The 64-year-old man was arrested on an international arrest warrant in Budapest, and the court ordered that he remained in custody during the extradition procedure. The defence appealed that ruling, citing the state of the rule of law and prison conditions in Brazil.

At a press conference after the arrest, Zoltán Boross of the National Investigation Bureau (NNI) said the man was wanted for crimes punishable by up to 30 years in prison. He allegedly smuggled 45 tonnes of cocaine between 2017 and 2019 alone, he said. Hungarian police apprehended him after information received form international law-enforcement partners, he said.