Ceará Opens Probes After 290,000-Plant Marijuana Find in Acopiara

Overview

• Police reported finding about 290,000 marijuana plants across roughly three hectares during a raid in Acopiara on Thursday and released footage showing tractors destroying part of the crop.
• Two days after the operation, federal deputy André Fernandes visited the site and posted a video saying much of the plantation and harvested material remained intact and that sacks, cellphones and notebooks had been left on the property.
• The state security secretariat opened a formal inquérito and the Controladoria Geral de Disciplina launched a disciplinary procedure by gubernatorial order to investigate custody failures and the conduct of security agents.
• The governor visited the site as destruction continued, the Polícia Civil said it has identified the property owner and the tenant without releasing names, and no arrests have been reported while inquiries work to establish links to organized crime.
• The Ministério Público do Ceará is monitoring the case with support from Gaesp and Gaeco Sul and the deputy says he has contacted federal authorities, making testimony and chain-of-custody documentation central to next steps.