MAYOR-ELECT ACCUSED OF LEADING SMUGGLING RING

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 RIO DE JANEIRO 000030

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR CA/FPP
DPET PLEASE PASSD TO DHS CIS WASHINGTON (RON THOMAS)
DEPT ALSO PLS PASS TO DHS ICE BOSTION

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KFRD CVIS ASEC PINR MX BR
SUBJECT: MAYOR-ELECT ACCUSED OF LEADING SMUGGLING RING


SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED

Summary
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1. (SBU) The respected Brazilian daily Folha de Sao
Paulo reports that the mayor-elect of a small city in
the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais is leading a family-
run smuggling operation that sends Brazilian nationals
to the United States via Mexico. According to Folha,
the operation is run from a travel agency the mayor
owns in Danbury, Connecticut, home to an estimated
20,000 - strong Brazilian community. Several persons
interviewed in the articles provided details about the
operation, including the agency's address and
description. A check with DHS revealed that someone
with the same name as the mayor-elect, Edson Alves da
Souza, listed the travel agency's locale as a home
address in the US and received a Connecticut driver's
license (now expired) and US Social Security number.
On the other hand, our records show only visa denials.
The mayor-elect, interviewed by the newspaper, denied
any involvement in alien-smuggling. Post has passed
this information to DHS. End Summary.

The Connecticut Connection
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2. (U) The newspaper reported that the mayor-elect of
Divino das Laranjeiras, Minas Gerais (population 5000),
has been operating a smuggling ring whereby Brazilians
are smuggled to the US overland via Mexico. The mayor-
elect, Edson Bodola (real name Edson Alves de Souza)
apparently owns a travel agency in Danbury, CT which
serves as a front for the operation. The business,
Lider Travel Services, functions out of two rented
rooms at the back of a clothing store on 255 Main
Street in Danbury. According to the articles, most of
those smuggled hail from the Mayor-elect's home-town
and have relatives in or around Danbury. Divino das
Laranjeiras is located next to the city of Governador
Valadares, infamous throughout Brazil as a center for
the production of fraudulent documents. It is estimated
that tens, perhaps hundreds of thousands of Minas
Gerais residents have relatives on the US eastern
seaboard; US engineers came to Minas after World War
II, and many took Brazilian spouses (?) back to the US
upon return.


3. (U) Relatives of de Souza told Folha that he
charges his customers $10,000 per trip, of which twenty
percent remains with him as "commission." Would-be
illegal immigrants are first transported to Mexico,
where they embark on an overland journey. The price of
the trip is supposed to include transport, food, and
housing along the way, but one relative of de Souza's
who works at the Danbury agency -- her real name did
not appear in the article -- criticized him for not
taking adequate care of his clients. Apparently,
several had been left to fend for themselves while
making an arduous trip across the desert; in one case,
de Souza allegedly refused to assist a nephew after his
release from American detention. He had been captured
after a 17-hour desert walk.


4. (U) The female relative was quoted in the paper as
saying the mayor-elect turned over operations to his
brother Kiko after winning the municipal election.
Edson de Souza, contacted separately by the paper,
denied all involvement in any BRAZILIAN ROAD TO U.S.:
EASIER THRU MEXICO?smuggling ring but advised the
reporter to talk to his brother.

Family Reunion On Main Street?
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5. (SBU) Despite not having received a visa from the
Department of State, it is possible that Alves de Souza
spent significant time in the U.S. In February 1993, a
person using this name presented a fraudulent photo-
subbed passport at the Miami airport and was returned
to Brazil. Post reports two other refusals under the
subject's name, including a P6C1 (misrepresentation)
hit entered in April 1998. However, a check with DHS
revealed that someone using the name Edson Alves de
Souza listed 255 Main Street, Danbury as his home
address in the years 2000 and 2001. This person
obtained a CT driver's license (#106149996, expired
October 23, 2003) and a social security card (044-84-
3514).


6. (SBU) A DHS official also told us that his records
show a certain Fernando Cezar Pereira also listing 255
Main as his address during that time. Our records show
this individual was denied a visa at US Consulate Rio
under ineligibility P6c1 on the same day in 1998 as
Edson Alves de Souza. However, DHS informs us that
Fernando Cezar Pereira was issued a valid S-26 card
certifying him as a special agricultural worker in

2002. In addition, several other individuals with De
Souza/Pereira surnames have listed the Danbury, CT
address as their home.

Comment
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7. (SBU) Such smuggling rings are probably fairly
common in Minas Gerais, a state infamous as the
epicenter of fraud in Brazil. Nevertheless, the
involvement of a public figure (albeit in a small town)
with political ambitions is rare. We have discussed
these allegations with the officials from DHS should
they decide to take further action.

ATKINS