Soccer stars have been targets of drug cartel kidnapping for some time, but the most recent incident that involves the beheading murder of Joao Rodrigo Silva Santos in Rio de Janeiro, was particularly gruesome. Santos' head was delivered to his wife yesterday morning, with his eyes and tongue cut out. Rodrigo Silva Santos' career spanned from 1996 to 2005 and found him playing for teams all over the globe, ranging from Rio to Sweden.
It is suspected that the grisly killing might have been brought on by the fact Santos' wife works for Rio's Pacification Units as a social worker and the unit has been working to take the shanty towns back from the drug lords. An earlier report has state over half the crime in Brazil is drug related.
Witnesses have reported seeing armed men bundle Santos into the back of a car. Some have said they were waiting for the soccer star to leave the health food store he recently opened in one of the city's lower income neighborhoods at around midnight. So they knew what his schedule was and timed the delivery of his head with when Santos' wife would be leaving for work. The couple who had been married for eleven years, are said to have not received any threats before this occurred.
The Police are still trying to locate the rest of Santos body and have launched a man hunt for the killers. However the drugged cartels are so enmeshed in the local culture, there are not many who would be willing or brave enough to step forward and give information in regards to the killing. This leaves police in a bit of a hard spot and does not bode well for the World Cup, as the drug cartels have promised a World Cup of Terror, so no word if this is thought to be a warning of what's to come. With less than eight weeks before the event kicks off the security in this country needs to take dramatic measures.
This is not the first brutal murder in Brazil that has ties to the game as a referee's head was once posted on a stake. Though it is more common for the loved ones of the soccer stars who are targeted for huge ransom amounts. Even soccer legend Pele is said to have barely escaped two gun once that recognized him in his car.
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