
A Brazilian police officer of Japanese origin -- and the driving force behind high-level arrests in a government corruption investigation -- was jailed for smuggling Wednesday, according to local press.
Newton Ishii, known as "the Japanese cop," gained fame for arresting dozens of well-known businessmen and politicians as part of the "Operation Car Wash" probe that began as a money laundering investigation but has since turned to the massive Petrobras fraud scandal.
An appeals court convicted Ishii of smuggling charges, sentencing him to four months and three weeks for facilitating the import of smuggled goods from Paraguay, his lawyer Oswaldo de Mello Junior told the Brazilian news outlet G1.
Ishii's involvement was uncovered in Operation Sucuri, an investigation into federal agents participating in illegal smuggling efforts.
The federal police branch in Parana had not responded to repeated AFP confirmation requests as of noon local time.
In addition to arresting prominent Brazilian figures, Ishii -- always sporting a flak jacket and dark sunglasses -- is known for taking selfies with politicans. He lept to prominence during the last carnival as revelers donned masks in his likeness, and after a song about him gained YouTube fame.
Ishii also inspired an erotic novel available on Amazon titled "Arrest me, Japanese Cop!"
The once-revered social media star became the laughing stock of online networks after his arrest Wednesday, with the hashtag #japonesdafederal -- "Japanese Cop" -- appearing alongside mockeries and doctored photos of the officer arresting himself.
Source: AFP
GMT 01:03 2018 Wednesday ,24 January
Trump 'imitates' Modi's accent in private conversation: ReportGMT 21:24 2018 Tuesday ,23 January
Puigdemont accuses EU of not defending rights in CataloniaGMT 21:18 2018 Tuesday ,23 January
Vietnam oil exec 'kidnapped' from Germany jailed for lifeGMT 21:08 2018 Tuesday ,23 January
Turkey in new assault on Kurdish militiaGMT 21:04 2018 Tuesday ,23 January
Turkey detains 24 over 'terror propaganda'GMT 20:52 2018 Tuesday ,23 January
Dawoodi Bohra leader arrives in DubaiGMT 22:09 2018 Monday ,22 January
Israel apologises to JordanGMT 16:11 2018 Sunday ,21 January
Pope condemns criminals in crime-stricken Peruvian city

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2025 ©
Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2025 ©
Send your comments
Your comment as a visitor