Brazil Police Uncover 40 Kilos of ‘Black Cocaine’ Hidden in Manaus Luxury Mansion

Overview

• Laboratory analysis confirmed the seized substance is a chemically altered cocaine variant designed to evade sniffer dogs and rapid field tests.
• Officers found the drug concealed in false compartments inside chairs and picture frames after a traffickers’ notebook mentioned “40 kilos” hidden in the furniture.
• An initial sweep in mid-October recovered 16 kilos of white cocaine, but the modified batch only tested positive in more advanced forensic exams.
• Two Peruvian housekeepers were arrested during the operation, while the property’s Peruvian owner remains abroad and says she is cooperating through her defense.
• Police say the engineered product can fetch up to ten times the price of standard cocaine and link it to networks that use the long‑established Rota do Solimões, including factions such as Comando Vermelho.