Pilot Accused of Child Abuse Ring Arrested Moments Before Flight Departure
In a shocking incident at Congonhas Airport in São Paulo, Brazil, a commercial pilot was apprehended by police just as his aircraft was preparing for takeoff. Sérgio Antônio Lopes, aged 60 and employed by LATAM Airlines, was filmed being removed from the plane in handcuffs on February 9, 2026, as part of a major investigation into alleged child sexual exploitation.
Dramatic Arrest Captured on Video
Footage released by São Paulo police shows the dramatic moment officers boarded the aircraft and detained Lopes. A police officer can be heard instructing the crew to call for an emergency pilot, stating, "You can call for an emergency pilot because he’s been arrested." Lopes was permitted to enter the cockpit briefly to retrieve his personal belongings before being escorted off the plane in restraints, much to the astonishment of passengers onboard.
Additional clips depict him being led through the airport terminal by law enforcement and placed into a police vehicle. The arrest is a key component of Operation 'Fasten your Seatbelt,' which targets individuals suspected of sexually abusing children and distributing illicit imagery.
Allegations of Extensive Paedophile Network
Police chief Ivalda Aleixo, speaking at a press conference, alleged that Lopes had been operating a paedophile ring for at least eight years. According to Ms. Aleixo, Lopes "raped" children, with one victim being abused from the age of eight until she turned twelve, and another who has recently reached eighteen. It is claimed that he used falsified identification documents to take underage girls to hotels.
"He had contact with some of the victims and he even took them to motels using adult IDs. He started abusing one of them when she was eight-years-old, and now she is 12, and another one of the victims has just turned 18. When he met these children, he would rape them," Ms. Aleixo stated.
Further Arrests and Ongoing Investigations
In connection with the same operation, a 55-year-old woman, whose identity has not been disclosed, was also arrested. She is accused of soliciting her granddaughters, aged eight, ten, and fourteen at the time of the alleged offences, to be abused. Police are executing eight search and seizure warrants against four additional individuals under investigation, with operations concentrated in São Paulo and Guararema within the metropolitan region.
Evidence seized from Lopes's mobile phone suggests that victims may extend beyond São Paulo to other Brazilian states. Authorities are examining with whom he shared this material. "In addition to personal use, there is strong evidence that he distributed this content to other people," added Ms. Aleixo, highlighting the potential scale of the distribution network.
The case has drawn significant media attention in Brazil, raising serious concerns about child protection and the exploitation of minors. LATAM Airlines has yet to issue a formal statement regarding the employment status of the pilot, but the incident underscores the rigorous efforts by Brazilian police to combat organised child abuse rings.
