Hundreds busted in Brazil as gang boss 'Marcola' transferred

326 people were arrested this week as Brazil police carried out operations to prevent attacks related to the prison transfer of a high-profile criminal gang leader known as Marcola. Sao Paulo police set up more than 3,300 checkpoints across the Brazilian state through which 33,000 vehicles passed. 226 people were arrested mainly for possession of drugs or weapons. The operations found 100 people with arrest warrants and 64 vehicles that were stolen. Marcos Willians Herbas Camacho, 'Marcola', was transfered from a prison near Sao Paulo city to a federal security prison.

The fight against organized crime in Brazil has seen criminal groups react violently to jail transfers. Last month, criminal groups in the northeastern Ceara state launched weeks of bombings, attacks against banks, vehicles, and government buildings.

The decision to move Marcola, leader of the First Commando of the Capital group, came after cops detected plans to free him. Some 400 Brazilian troops were deployed to stop violence by criminal gangs in the northern city of Fortaleza.