Brazilian Soccer Referee Arrested Mid-Match for Alleged Role in Drug Trafficking Network

Ederson da Carlos Silva was seen issuing a player a yellow card as police ran onto the field and arrested him on Sunday in Guarujá, Brazil

GUARUJÁ, BRAZIL — A soccer referee was dramatically arrested during an amateur match on Sunday in the coastal city of Guarujá, São Paulo state, as stunned players and spectators looked on. The referee, 38-year-old Ederson Carlos da Silva, was taken into custody in handcuffs on accusations of operating as a key logistics coordinator for a regional drug-trafficking ring.

The arrest was captured on video, showing da Silva issuing a yellow card to a player moments before officers in bulletproof vests stormed the pitch and detained him.

According to São Paulo Civil Police, da Silva had been under surveillance for months. Glaucus Silva, the police chief in Guarujá, said authorities were able to locate him through his social media activity. “He is a person who has a very active social life, so he was already on the radar,” Silva stated.

Police say that da Silva was being investigated for his role in a drug-trafficking network that supplied cocaine throughout the Brazilian state of São Paulo

Da Silva’s arrest stems from an ongoing investigation that began in November 2024, when São Paulo police intercepted a truck transporting 450 kilograms of cocaine. The truck’s driver and a passenger were arrested, leading authorities to uncover da Silva’s alleged role as logistics manager for the drug trafficking network.

Eduardo Lima, chief of the Narcotics Investigations Police Station under the State Department for the Prevention and Repression of Drug Trafficking, explained, “He used houses rented by the criminal organization to store the drugs, which were then distributed.”

Lima added that police had no prior knowledge that da Silva worked as a football referee. “According to his records, he was listed as a foreman in a company. We weren’t aware he officiated football matches,” he said.

Brazilian authorities were unaware that that da Silva was refereeing amateur soccer games

Da Silva had been listed as wanted before officers in Guarujá successfully located and arrested him during the match. Authorities continue to search for six additional suspects linked to the drug trafficking case.