In Marbella, a standout case centers on a Brazilian drug lord named Sergio Roberto de Carvalho, who reportedly faked his death amid the COVID era to evade trial in Galicia under a Spain-based identity. The authorities assert he resurfaced after arrest in Budapest, where he appeared under a Mexican passport carried on a mission tied to Guillermo Flores Díaz. A Pontevedra court confirmed that de Carvalho was sought by a Vigo court and remains linked to cases across several jurisdictions. He was moved to Spain to stand trial in connection with the Titan III operation, the tugboat intercepted by the National Police carrying 1,700 kilograms of cocaine bound for Galicia in 2018. Earlier this June, the fifth division of the Pontevedra County Court handed down sentences ranging from three to twelve and a half years to fourteen individuals linked to the stash.
The lead prosecutor in the case, once arrested in Marbella under the alias Paul Wouter and identified as a principal figure in charge of the stash, pursued a lengthy prison term. A pivotal shift came when the defense presented a death certificate dated August 29, 2020, along with cremation documents from Pontevedra, prompting questions from investigators about the validity of those records. Despite lingering suspicions, the documents were accepted as sound by the court. Soon after, Brazilian authorities signaled that Wouter was indeed the same Major Carvalho, holding a Surinamese passport that conferred Dutch status in Europe, and facing charges of drug trafficking and large scale money laundering.
Over the years the fugitive earned another moniker, sometimes called the Brazilian Pablo Escobar, thanks to his capacity to funnel significant volumes of narcotics into Europe. Warnings about his identity misdirection surfaced late, as the narcotics organization managed to disappear with a third identity after boarding a flight in Lisbon just before a sweeping crackdown across multiple countries, including Spain. Nearly two years after the feigned death in an apartment on Calle San Juan Bosco in Marbella, the Spanish justice system seeks to determine who helped orchestrate or conceal the deception and the circumstances surrounding the Costa del Sol death. A Pontevedra court and the prosecutors’ office have signaled that witnesses and participants may be identified in the course of the investigation, though the matter is anticipated to be led by a Malaga provincial authority given the location of the feigned death.
Authorities have not confirmed to this newspaper whether the ongoing probe has influenced related inquiries. At least seven individuals are mentioned in the broader inquiry, including the Marbella doctor who signed the death certificate, a friend and witness resident in Mijas, two funeral service workers, and three additional crematorium staff members in Marbella, according to reports from Correo Gallego.
Meanwhile, Hungary has received a formal extradition request from Brazil for Carvalho and is expected to issue a decision in the autumn. The Budapest Metropolitan Court’s press office indicated that Carvalho will remain detained in Hungary as the process unfolds. The Budapest Prosecutor’s Office reported in July that the detainee faces charges in Brazil for drug trafficking, smuggling, money laundering, murder, and document forgery. This sequence places Carvalho at the center of a broad international effort to address a network once capable of channeling substantial quantities of narcotics into Europe. Source: La Opinión de Málaga and other regional outlets have documented these developments as authorities coordinate across borders to establish accountability for the alleged criminal enterprise.