WILLEMSTAD – Curaçao-born convicted criminal Gerel Lusiano Palm was recaptured in Brazil on Saturday after a spectacular escape from a prison in Rio de Janeiro, where he has been held while fighting extradition to the Netherlands.
Palm escaped together with another inmate after the two overpowered a prison guard. They then used a makeshift rope to climb over the prison wall and flee the facility.
Brazilian authorities immediately launched a search operation, including the deployment of a police helicopter. Palm was located and taken back into custody shortly afterward.
The escape adds another chapter to Palm's history of attempts to evade detention. He previously managed to escape from custody in Suriname before eventually being arrested in Brazil in 2021.
Palm is wanted by the Netherlands, where he was convicted in absentia and sentenced to 20 years in prison for two attempted murders.
He has also been linked to a contract killing allegedly carried out on the orders of Dutch-Moroccan organized crime figure Ridouan Taghi.
Dutch authorities have been seeking Palm's extradition from Brazil for several years. Palm, however, has used legal proceedings to try to prevent his transfer to the Netherlands.
He has remained in Brazilian custody since his arrest in 2021 while the extradition process continues.
Saturday's escape proved short-lived. Following the rapid mobilization of Brazilian law enforcement, Palm was again placed behind bars, preventing what could have become another lengthy international manhunt.