Pilot Sérgio Antônio Lopes, 60, was arrested on the morning of Monday (Feb. 9) inside an aircraft at Congonhas Airport in São Paulo, suspected of heading a child and adolescent sex exploitation network. The arrest took place during boarding for flight LA3900 to Rio de Janeiro, as part of Operation Apertem os Cintos. Authorities identified at least 10 victims over the past eight years.
São Paulo's Civil Police arrested Sérgio Antônio Lopes strategically inside the cockpit of Latam flight LA3900 at Congonhas Airport in the city's south zone. DHPP delegate Luciana Peixoto explained that the location was chosen as it would be seen as safe by the suspect, ensuring he was unprepared and in possession of crime evidence.
Lopes initially denied involvement in the pedophilia network but confessed when confronted with three victims' names and sexual photos on his phone, which he unlocked for authorities. Married, the pilot approached women by inquiring about children and offering extramarital relationships. He paid R$30 to R$100, plus medicines and rent, to mothers and guardians to abuse minors. Last October, he made payments of R$50 to R$100 to mothers and grandmothers for abuses.
Operation Apertem os Cintos, by the 4th Pedophilia Repression Police Station, executed eight search and seizure warrants against four suspects in São Paulo and Guararema. A 55-year-old woman was also arrested for 'selling' her granddaughters, aged 10, 12, and 14, to the pilot. The inquiry, started in October 2024, identified three victims aged 11, 12, and 15 subjected to severe exploitation. Lopes used fake documents to take children to motels and is suspected of coordinating a network with other men; phones will be forensically examined.
Latam stated it launched an internal investigation and vehemently repudiates criminal actions, cooperating with authorities. The flight operated normally after the arrest.
