by Jan Dequito | Informosomes
On April 24, 2017, a robbery occurred in a cash-transit facility in Ciudad del Este, Paraguay. A large group of heavily armed gangsters targeted the vault of Prosegur, a cash-protection service company, and stole cash amounting to more than $11.7 million. Due to the large-scale nature of the heist, the media later labeled it as the infamous “robbery of the century”.
Prior to the robbery, a group of bandits besieged the city and surrounded the company’s building with torched vehicles. Whilst the terrorizing of the city occurred, another group of gang members bombed the Prosegur office to break into the safe and steal millions of dollars. The assault lasted for around three hours which resulted in injuries sustained by one officer and three civilians, and even the death of one police officer.
The location of the crime, Ciudad del Este, sits at the intersection of Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina. The existing Tripartite Command in the interstates formally enabled the collaboration between the police forces in the cities of Puerto Iguazu in Argentina, Foz do Iguaçu in Brazil, and Ciudad del Este in Paraguay.
The investigation by the security forces pointed out that a notorious Brazilian criminal organization was behind the robbery.
The large group of burglars scattered into smaller groups as they fled from the police. One group of suspects attempted to escape by crossing a lake towards Brazil, but they were intercepted by the Brazilian Federal Police. Other criminals resorted to kidnapping civilians, but they were later apprehended by police officers. In another confrontation during a chase, three of the fugitives were killed. Through the joint efforts of the security forces in different regions, several suspects were arrested and detained for interrogation.
From the information gathered, the police were able to track down the "headquarters" of the criminals in Ciudad del Este. As requested by the Paraguayan National Police, the Brazilian Federal Police handled the crime scene investigation and forensic analysis in the Prosegur case. They collected pieces of evidence at the Prosegur branch office, the "headquarters," and clashing sites with the aim of recovering biological traces that could generate genetic profiles to be used in criminal identification.
Among the materials collected are personal items found in the "headquarters," abandoned bags around the vicinity of clashing sites, and later, seized vehicles used by the burglars. All evidence found was sent to the DNA laboratory for sample analysis.
Brazil has an Integrated Network of DNA Database (RIBPG), wherein the genetic profiles of convicted offenders and suspects are stored as references for linking different crime scenes to aid in identifying the culprits involved. After gaining judicial authorization, the genetic profiles obtained from the Prosegur case were permitted to be inserted into the network. However, as per protocol, a genetic profile must first meet the technical parameters for it to be included in the National DNA Database. An internal database was exclusively created for the Prosegur case so all genetic profiles obtained in the investigation could be compared to the reference profiles in the database.
Overall, there were 457 pieces of evidence retrieved in the investigation—a record-breaking number of materials ever received by the Brazilian forensic DNA laboratory until 2021. As the case was a matter of urgency, DNA examinations had to be done in the shortest time possible. The laboratory team was divided into groups for the different tasks: a sampling team, a laboratory benchwork team to process DNA extraction to amplification, and a group of experts for analysis and report writing.
In a span of ten days since receiving the materials, 577 samples were obtained and analyzed. Substances such as saliva, blood, and semen were prioritized in the sampling because these have greater potential for yielding genetic profiles. The biological stains obtained were categorized into four major groups: wearer DNA, buccal epithelium/saliva, "touch DNA,” and blood.
Only 240 samples, or less than half of the total, were amplifiable. This means other samples had insufficient DNA traces to generate genetic profiles. In the end, 138 out of 240 amplified samples were interpretable and eligible for comparison. The summary of the processed samples is illustrated in the figure below.
Amplified samples (Source: da Silva Junior, et al. (2022). The “Robbery of the Century”: The biggest Brazilian forensic genetics case. Forensic Science International: Reports 5)
The most common biological material extracted from all of the evidence was the wearer DNA. The next three were buccal epithelium or saliva, "touch DNA," and blood.
Apart from blood, the biological trace that yielded the greatest number of reportable genetic profiles of high quality was the buccal epithelium or salivary DNA. The buccal epithelium/saliva traces were collected mainly from cigarette butts, cups, and bottles. Wearer DNA, which is biological material shed in substrates such as clothing, balaclavas, and towels, was the next best biological trace. This was followed by "touch DNA," which was collected from objects handled by the robbers, such as tools and vehicles.
Through DNA examinations, it was revealed that at least 47 individuals participated in the crime, and their genetic profiles were entered into the database. It was revealed that 17 profiles from the Prosegur case matched with other profiles from 21 unrelated crime scenes, which led to the identification of seven more individuals. Some of the burglars who participated in the Prosegur robbery turned out to be involved in other felonies in six Brazilian states between 2013 and 2020. The punishment for the perpetrators in the Prosegur robbery case included 26 to 34 years of imprisonment and a fine.
The Prosegur case is another breakthrough that highlights the essence of forensic genetics. DNA profiling continues to demonstrate its utility in the criminal justice system, as most of the evidence obtained in the investigation came from traces of DNA. Comparing stain profiles helped identify the culprits behind the robbery and even link their involvement to other criminal activities. The casework also sheds light on the effectiveness of having a DNA database to assist any type of criminal investigation.
Aside from being dubbed the "robbery of the century" and being the biggest Brazilian forensic genetics case, the Prosegur case also won the DNA Hit of the Year in 2020.
The information presented on the Prosegur case was derived from the case report entitled “The ‘Robbery of the Century’: the biggest Brazilian forensic genetics case”, published under Forensic Science International: Reports which can be accessed at https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2665910722000081
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