Famous Brazilian officer arrested for smuggling
A Brazilian police officer of Japanese origin -- and the driving force behind high-level arrests in a government corruption investigation -- was jailed for smuggling Wednesday, according to local press.
Newton Ishii, known as "the Japanese cop," gained fame for arresting dozens of well-known businessmen and politicians as part of the "Operation Car Wash" probe that began as a money laundering investigation but has since turned to the massive Petrobras fraud scandal.
An appeals court convicted Ishii of smuggling charges, sentencing him to four months and three weeks for facilitating the import of smuggled goods from Paraguay, his lawyer Oswaldo de Mello Junior told the Brazilian news outlet G1.
Ishii's involvement was uncovered in Operation Sucuri, an investigation into federal agents participating in illegal smuggling efforts.
The federal police branch in Parana had not responded to repeated AFP confirmation requests as of noon local time.
In addition to arresting prominent Brazilian figures, Ishii -- always sporting a flak jacket and dark sunglasses -- is known for taking selfies with politicans. He lept to prominence during the last carnival as revelers donned masks in his likeness, and after a song about him gained YouTube fame.
Ishii also inspired an erotic novel available on Amazon titled "Arrest me, Japanese Cop!"
The once-revered social media star became the laughing stock of online networks after his arrest Wednesday, with the hashtag #japonesdafederal -- "Japanese Cop" -- appearing alongside mockeries and doctored photos of the officer arresting himself.