A man who was shot dead early Sunday in Póvoa de Varzim was wanted in Brazil, his home country, where he was suspected of leading a criminal network. Rafael Lourenço was believed to be the leader of a group known as ‘The Ghosts of Cajuru,’ operating mainly in the Curitiba area in Paraná and involved in drug trafficking, money laundering, and homicides.
He allegedly fled to Portugal to avoid arrest in Brazil and was reportedly living in Lisbon at the time. In Brazil, Lourenço was detained in 2009 but was released on parole and returned to criminal activities. Later, in 2021, he was sentenced, and the sentence became final in 2023. However, he avoided further imprisonment by relocating to Portugal. Portuguese authorities had flagged him for drug trafficking but lacked sufficient evidence for his arrest.
A police source confirmed to Notícias ao Minuto that the man was shot dead and that the Polícia Judiciária (PJ) was called to investigate. As of now, no arrests have been made.
The alert was issued at 05:13 AM Sunday on Dr. Artur Aires Street. A police source confirmed to Lusa that the victim was a foreign man in his 30s living in Portugal. The death was declared at the scene, where members of the Póvoa de Varzim Firefighters, the Immediate Life Support Ambulance (SIV) of Vila do Conde, the Medium Emergency and Resuscitation Vehicle (VMER) from Pedro Hispano Hospital, and the Public Security Police (PSP) were present.
The man was killed with five gunshots.
