Fugitive drug lord arrested after wife’s constant posting on social media exposed him

After a two-year manhunt, authorities have arrested fugitive drug lord Ronald Roland, 50, in his condominium in the southeastern city of Guarujá.

Roland’s capture was significantly aided by the social media posts of his wife, Andrezza de Lima, according to TV Globo’s news magazine show, Fantastico.

Roland, de Lima, and their daughter were asleep when Federal Police raided their residence last Tuesday. De Lima, who owns a bikini shop, frequently posted about their luxurious travels to destinations including Colombia, Dubai, France, and the Maldives. One such post revealed their location, leading authorities to their doorstep.

Roland was among eight individuals apprehended in an extensive operation spanning seven states.

Authorities seized large amounts of cash, jewelry, weapons, a boat, 34 cars, and an airplane. Federal Police investigators allege Roland maintained contacts with Mexican drug cartels and estimate he laundered $900 million over the past five years. Among the 100 businesses implicated in the money laundering scheme was de Lima’s bikini shop.

“Houses were purchased in the name of companies whose partners were people without the minimum economic capacity to acquire real estate, vehicles, aircraft,” explained Federal Police agent Ricardo Ruiz.

“We found partners of companies, for example, who work in a restaurant, but who are partners in several companies that moved tens of millions of reais.”

Ruiz added that Roland had been under investigation since 2012. At that time, Roland was working as an airline pilot and was suspected of collaborating with drug traffickers who transported large quantities of drugs from Central and South America to Mexico.

In 2019, Roland attracted attention when he moved into a luxurious condominium in Uberlândia, a city in the nearby southeastern state of Minas Gerais. His neighbors noticed his extravagant lifestyle, with Roland driving a $91,500 vehicle one week, a $183,000 car the next, and another luxury car worth $146,000 shortly thereafter.

“This caught the attention of the neighborhood. Who is this person who moved here?” Ruiz remarked.