A digital influencer known for sharing fashion and motherhood tips was revealed to be the passenger in a car stopped with over 100 gold bars worth more than GBP 8 million hidden inside the dashboard.
The vehicle was stopped by Federal Highway Police in Boa Vista, in the northern Brazilian state of Roraima, on 4th August.
Officers became suspicious when they noticed inconsistencies in the driver’s documents and signs of tampering on the dashboard of the 2024 Toyota Hilux.
Businessman Bruno Mendes de Jesus and his wife Suzy Alencar pose in undated photo. Over 100 solid gold bars were seized from the car the family were in in Boa Vista, Brazil, on Aug.04, 2025. Note: Picture is a screenshot from video.(@suzyalencar_/Newsflash/NX)
A detailed search uncovered a false bottom in the dashboard containing 100 large gold bars and 60 smaller bars, along with raw gold ore stones in the truck’s storage compartment.
The 30-year-old driver, Bruno Mendes de Jesus, was arrested at the scene.
His 32-year-old wife, influencer Suzy Alencar, and their nine-month-old baby were also in the car but she was released without charge after giving a statement.
Photos and video from the inspection show Federal Highway Police officers extracting the bars from behind the vehicle's dashboard and laying them out in evidence bags.
Businessman Bruno Mendes de Jesus, his wife Suzy Alencar and their child pose in undated photo. Over 100 solid gold bars were seized from the car the family were in in Boa Vista, Brazil, on Aug.04, 2025. Note: Private photo taken from social media.(@suzyalencar_/Newsflash/NX)
Authorities confirmed the total weight of the seizure as 103 kilogrammes (227 lbs), calling it the largest gold haul in the agency’s history.
The Hilux was not registered to Bruno, who initially claimed to be a construction inspector travelling from Manaus, but failed to provide details of the alleged site.
Businessman Bruno Mendes de Jesus and his wife Suzy Alencar pose in undated photo. Over 100 solid gold bars were seized from the car the family were in in Boa Vista, Brazil, on Aug.04, 2025. Note: Private photo taken from social media.(@suzyalencar_/Newsflash/NX)
Bruno's defence team described him as a first-time offender and the sole provider for his family, saying he worked in the mining sector in a region with regulatory gaps and lacked the proper documentation for the transport of the gold.
Although authorities have not confirmed the origin of the bars, officials have previously raised concerns about widespread illegal mining activity in parts of Rondonia and Roraima, including operations on protected Indigenous lands where gold is often extracted and trafficked across borders into neighbouring Venezuela and Guyana.
Video shows the seizure of the gold, undated. Over 100 solid gold bars seized in Boa Vista, Brazil, on Aug. 4, 2025. Note: Photo is a screenshot from a video. (Newsflash/NX)
Alencar, who has nearly 30,000 followers on Instagram, describes herself as a creator focused on motherhood and lifestyle content.
(Mike Leidig / newsX)