Brazilian singer who is pals with soccer star neymar busted for alleged ties to gang he glorified in songs

A hugely popular Brazilian funk star whose songs glorify gang crime has been nabbed for the very same crimes he brags about in his songs. Marlon Brandon Coelho Couto Silva, better known as

MC Poze do Rodo, was cuffed at his luxury home in the beachside neighborhood of Recreio dos Bandeirantes on Thursday morning, accused of cozying up to one of Rio De Janeiro’s top crime

groups, the Comando Velhelmo, according to Agencia Brasil. The 26-year-old influencer has 5.7 million monthly listeners on Spotify and nearly 16 million followers on Instagram, where he

shows off his glamorous lifestyle rubbing shoulders with the likes of Brazilian soccer star Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior. “The repertoire of songs sung by him clearly advocates drug

trafficking, the illegal use of firearms, and incites armed confrontations between rival gangs, which often results in innocent victims,” the Rio de Janeiro Civil Police told Agencia Brasil.

His songs include several glorifying the Comando Velhelmo — whose members were seen toting guns while manning one of his recent shows, Folhape de Pernambuco reported. EXPLORE MORE In the

song “Na CDD Só Tem Bandido Faixa Preta,” Silva sang about it being time for Comando Vermelho to take back their turf from rival criminal groups. “We have Glock, we have AK,” he raps. “We’re

going to go back home and put the bullet to eat. Retake what’s ours and shout: It’s the CV!” Silva’s concerts were allegedly used by the crime faction to “increase profits from the sale of

narcotics,” and used resources to “acquire more drugs, firearms and other equipment necessary to commit crimes,” police told the outlet. He will be temporarily held in prison as the

investigation continues, a custody center told the outlet. Comando Vermelho is one of Brazil’s oldest criminal groups, founded in a Rio de Janeiro prison in the 1970s for inmates’

self-protection, according to InSight Crime.